


The Second

by LittleGreenPuppy



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Bill is gonna be HELLA ooc, Destiny, M/M, but for a reason, just bear with me for a moment, or something
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-23
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-09 22:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10422957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleGreenPuppy/pseuds/LittleGreenPuppy
Summary: In this world of magic, rulers aren't born with the right to rule. Nor do they fight for that right. That right is divinely given to two people deemed worthy enough to lead everyone else. No one's ever been chosen who couldn't do the job, because it never chooses wrong. It could never choose wrong.At least, that's what everyone thought before.Now they're not so sure.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PBnSpots](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PBnSpots/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DEAREST FRIEND
> 
> I tried to finish this before PbnSpots's birthday, but uh.... when you've given yourself a possibly 10 chaptered story and only a week to plot and write it... it doesn't end up getting finished XD So for the next month (hopefully less) this is going to be my priority (meaning yes, A Triangle in the Woods is on the back burner rn)
> 
> That also means that since this is going to be a little rushed, mistakes and continuity errors will probably happen more frequently than usual...
> 
> But I hope you all enjoy this too! :D

March 23rd was an important day, that year.

For one, it was the day that The First was chosen on his 18th birthday. Bill Cipher was his name, and he’d already been whisked away to the palace and placed under the guidance of the current rulers by the time the public had gotten wind of it.

And for another, it meant that within the next year, The Second would be chosen. The person who would rule alongside The First when the current rulers passed the leadership down to them.

So, as you could imagine, everyone turning 18 before the next March 23rd came around was either excited or panicked.

Or at least… most of them were.

Dipper Pines, currently 17 and turning 18 at the end of August, wasn’t thinking much of it. Had he thought there was any chance of being chosen, he most definitely would’ve been panicking, but there was no doubt in his mind that it wouldn’t be him. Not necessarily because he thought he couldn’t lead, but because his sister existed.

Mabel, his twin sister, was so obviously better suited for the job, it wasn’t even funny. She was kind and thoughtful and charismatic. She was the leader of more than one of her many, _many_ extracurricular activities (mostly crafting seeing as that was her magical specialty), and it just came naturally to her. So naturally that Dipper was almost convinced that she was going to be chosen when their birthday came around.

And even better, she was part of the group that was excited about this whole thing.

“Just think, Dipper!” she’d said when the announcement of The First being chosen had reached them. “We both turn 18 this year, so one of _us_ could be The Second!”

Dipper had just laughed and replied with, “You mean _you_ could be The Second.”

Mabel waved his comment off, but both of them knew Dipper was right. Mabel was much more qualified, and it didn’t bother Dipper to know that. Honestly? He was happy for her. For the idea that she could rule one day.

And that’s what he told his friends.

“ _Come on, dude! You don’t really think that right?_ ” His friend Wendy didn’t seem to agree with him. “ _I mean, I know your sister is really outgoing, but you’d be a great ruler! Don’t sell yourself short._ ”

Dipper could almost hear her shaking her head at him through his phone. He leaned back in his chair and sighed, thanking magic that he’d been hanging out in an empty classroom during his free period rather than the study hall, like the others in his free period. “I’m not selling myself short,” he said.

“ _Yeah, you are!_ ” Wendy stressed. Dipper had to hold the phone away a bit. Wendy’s chastising voice was always a little too loud…  “ _You do it all the time. Modesty is only appealing to a certain point, Dipper._ ”

Dipper rolled his eyes, knowing she couldn’t see it. “It’s not modesty, it’s honesty.”

“ _It’s stupid, is what it is._ ” Oh! She was channeling his Grunkle Stan now! She did that more and more nowadays, Dipper noticed. “ _You could be a ruler! You have the skills to be a great one, too!_ ”

Even so, a smile started worming its way onto Dipper’s face. Whether he accepted them or not, compliments were always welcome. Plus it was just really nice to know that his friends had such faith and confidence in him. The only problem was…

“You say this like I actually want to be a ruler, though,” Dipper said, the smile lightening his tone. He even laughed a little.

Wendy groaned, but not nearly as seriously as she had before. “ _I just don’t want you to think you_ can’t _be a ruler. You can be! You’re a great leader. And if you ever say you aren’t again, I’m gonna come down there and punch you._ ” The threat, as playful as it was, wasn’t an empty one.

“Whatever you say,” Dipper laughed, then checked the time, “but I have to go. My free period is almost over, and I’ll have to get back to class.”

“ _Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and use class as an excuse not to finish this conversation, I see how you are. And if you can’t tell, I’m rolling my eyes at you._ ” Dipper could tell. He could tell _very_ easily.

He laughed and said pointedly, “Don’t you have work to do?”

“ _I don’t know what you’re talking about. I mean, it’s not like my break ended fifteen minutes ago or anything._ ”

Dipper grinned. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“ _Alright… See ya! And don’t forget what I said!_ ”

Dipper couldn’t get rid of the smile on his face even after he’d hung up. Wendy always looked out for him like that. His friend Soos did too, but in between running his business and taking care of his new child he didn’t have much of a chance to chat anymore. At least not during times that worked for Dipper.

He really wished he could see them more throughout the year rather than just during summer break.

Gathering his stuff with a sigh, Dipper walked out of the classroom and- Oh great…

Doug and his stupid cronies, otherwise known as the school’s top bullies, were hanging out in the hallway.

And guess who their favorite target was?

“Dipshit!” Doug cried out, grinning wickedly. His cronies turned around and started grinning too. “So nice to see you! But, uh… I thought nerds weren’t allowed to use this hallway.”

The cronies laughed, high fiving each other and smacking their backs like they were the ones who’d said it.

Dipper mentally groaned. “Oh, ha, ha, ha,” he deadpanned. “You’re so original. I’ve never heard that one before.” Because it’s not like it’s Doug’s go-to insult or anything. “Don’t you have a class to go fail or something?” Then again, that wasn’t Dipper’s best either…

Trying to hurry, Dipper made to leave only to be blocked off by Doug’s cronies surrounding him. He stepped back, not quite so his back was against the wall, putting distance between him and the cronies.

Doug squeezed through the wall of bullies and walked forward until he was almost nose to nose with Dipper. “Actually,” he started to say, an innocent smile on his face, “I was wondering if you’d help me with this upcoming math test I have. Tell me,” Doug raised a fist, pulling Dipper forward and holding it mere millimeters from him, the smile long gone, “what do I get when I add my fist to your face?” Doug pulled the fist back and-

He flinched as the bell rang.

Students began pouring out of classrooms as they headed to their next class. Some of them stopped and stared for a moment before continuing on their way. Teachers followed moments after, and they eyed the situation with suspicion. Doug lowered his shaking fist.

“Right now? Detention,” Dipper answered belatedly.

Doug sneered, pushing Dipper into the wall before leaving, his cronies close behind.

Dipper rubbed his now sore shoulder and glared after them. Then he left in the opposite direction.

Okay… so maybe his lack of interest in being The Second was at least a little bit because he thought he couldn’t lead. After all, how could someone who’d been bullied practically since birth be able to lead anyone? If his own peers couldn’t take him seriously, how could anyone else?

At least the damage inflicted by the bullies lessened over the years. Not because any of the teachers stepped in to help or because Dipper followed his teacher’s advice of “just ignore them and they’ll leave you alone”. Like _that_ ever helped anyone. No, thankfully his great uncles had stepped in to help. With one being incredibly witty and the other being physically strong, they used their combined strengths to build Dipper up.

The bullies never stopped, but Dipper could use small self defense to keep them away and his cunning intelligence keep the fights out of sight of teachers trying to get _him_ in trouble rather than the bullies.

It wasn’t… ideal, but he could deal with it for the next year until he graduated. Then Dipper would go into training for his magical specialty, which would take him far, _far_ away from Doug. Hopefully to the point where he’d never have to see him again.

* * *

 

 _Hey, Dip!_  
_I know I said I’d be free today, but there was an emergency in the sewing club which required a MANDATORY meeting!_  
_It shouldn’t take too long though, so you could probably hang out around school until I’m done! :P_ _  
_ Love, Mabel!

Dipper stared at the note Mabel had left on his locker and internally rolled his eyes at everyone who thought Dipper ever had a chance at being The Second when they also knew that Mabel existed.

Not because she was sacrificing her night for this one meeting, but because she did so nearly every night! True, she enjoyed all these mandatory meetings, but to do them every night, sometimes more than one a night after an entire day of school work, homework, and general work… that took something only a true leader had.

Dipper would have to start thinking of something to get Mabel when she was chosen to congratulate her.

But for now…

Dipper sighed and sank to the floor, his back resting against his locker. He reached into a small pouch he kept on a cord around his neck.

It was a pouch he’d been wearing like a necklace since he was five years old, when he found out his specialty was with plants. So naturally, it was filled with a variety of seeds.

Picking one out, he let it rest in the palm of his hand. He focused his attention on it, and within seconds it was sprouting. The roots twisted and curled, wrapping themselves around Dipper’s fingers as they grew, then around the rest of his hand until they were trailing down his arm in intricate but deliberate designs. And by the time Dipper stopped concentrating, he had a glove of delicate, white roots almost up to his elbow.

“Wow…”

Dipper gasped, jumping and looking into the eyes of what looked like a freshman.

The freshman flinched back, clutching the strap of his back nervously. “I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to intrude or… anything.”

Dipper relaxing, sighing in relief. “Oh. No, it’s okay. You just startled me.” It’s not like many people talked to him here after all. Quicker than he’d made it, Dipper let the roots retract back until all that was left in his hand was the single seed he’d started with. He gave a smile, holding the seed up for the freshman to see. “I’m just practicing anyway.”

The freshman’s eyes lit up in wonder. “Whoa… That’s so cool!”

“You don’t go here do you?” Dipper asked, a knowing smile on his face. Because everyone who did go there knew to stay away from the ‘plant growing nerd’, courtesy of Doug.

“Just started,” the freshman said, bouncing a little. “It’s a little late in the year but… my parents had to move for work so here I am!”

And he seemed to happy about it too. Despite circumstances. Dipper felt happy and optimistic just being around the sweet kid. “Well, I hope you like it here,” he said, meaning every word.

The freshman beamed. “Thanks! By the way… do you know where uh…” he dug around in his bag for a moment, then pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, “room H13 is? I’m supposed to meet a counselor there.”

“Down that hallway and to the left,” Dipper said, pointing in the direction he mentioned.

The freshman’s face fell and he groaned, following Dipper’s finger, “But I just came from there…”

Dipper smiled a little wider as he watched the freshman wander back to where he’d come from. He was a nice kid. Dipper sincerely hoped he liked it here and didn’t run into bullies or anything.

It was another twenty minutes or so before Dipper felt his phone vibrate with a new text from his sister:

_Candy just texted with a CODE ARGYLE. Gonna be later than I thought T^T  
you should probably just go home without me… _

Dipper rolled his eyes, not surprised at all.

Putting the pouch back under his shirt where he hid it and throwing his bag over his shoulder, Dipper got up and started heading out. While walking, he sent a quick text back letting Mabel know he was on his way home. Hmm… maybe he’d get some dinner on the way home while he was at it-

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Dipper froze.

He knew that voice…

Dipper swung his head around, finding just what he’d expected to find: Doug.

Only… they weren’t going for him. In fact, they were all the way down the hall that he was passing and didn’t even look like they’d noticed him. Instead, they’d cornered some freshman looking kid who was cowering against the wall.

It was the transfer student.

Oh no…

Biting his lip, Dipper debated his options.

He could walk away. Doug and his gang had picked their new prey and they weren’t likely to let go for anything. Otherwise Dipper would’ve had a much easier high school experience… So trying to help wouldn’t change anything.

But… Dipper knew from experience that doing nothing would only make it worse. That poor kid clearly wasn’t prepared to deal with bullies like Doug too. He needed support, he needed _help_. Just like Dipper had needed. And one look to the two teachers side eying the situation from one of the classrooms proved they wouldn’t do anything unless it got physical.

Squaring his shoulders and knowing his likelihood of getting in trouble for this was skyrocketing, Dipper made his way down the hall. “Hey!”

Doug turned and jeered. “Whaddya want, Dipshit? This doesn’t concern you.”

The freshman cowered even more, pushing himself back against the wall like if he did so hard enough it would swallow him whole. Dipper gave him a sad look, then pretending to cry.

“I just...” he faked a choked sob. “I just can’t believe you’d pick on someone else right in front of me!”

Doug and his cronies shared a confused look.

Dipper continued, “Didn’t our bully-nerd relationship mean anything to you?!” Then he stopped abruptly, the mask of devastation gone and replaced with a hard stare. “Or did you just get tired of picking on someone who wasn’t afraid to talk back?”

Dipper was right in between Doug and the freshman now, having used his crying as a distraction to do so.

Doug growled, “I _said_ this doesn’t concern you.”

“It doesn’t have to concern me,” Dipper said, standing firm. “I’m not about to let you bully someone else right in front of me.”

For a split second, Doug was _furious_. But then he smiled jokingly. “Aww… are you trying to be a hero right now?” His voice was condescendingly sweet. “Hoping that if you pretend to be a good person for long enough you could end up being The Second? It doesn’t work like that, Dipshit. I mean, really.”

Doug waved his hand, and two of his cronies pulled the freshman off to the side while the others surrounded Dipper like they had before.

“Do you honestly think someone like _you_ could rule? Gimme a break.” Doug took a step closer with every methodical sentence he spoke. “Face the facts, you’ve never been a leader. All you’ve ever been, all you ever will be, is that dweeby little brat in the back of the class no one ever liked. The one who’s always picked last. The one who always sits alone. The one who has no friends.”

Doug was centimeters from Dipper now. He glanced over to the freshman as if to say, “look at who your hero really is”.

But Dipper rolled his eyes. “Aww… you say that like I care,” he said, mimicking Doug’s tone before deadpanning. “Come on, if you’re going to provoke me into pulling the first punch, at least _try_. Or you could always throw the first punch. Let’s see how well that works out for you.”

Doug’s gaze trailed over to the teachers down the hall who were now intently watching the situation. He turned back to Dipper and glared, snarling out, “You won’t be there for him forever, you know. You can pretend to stick up for him now, but you’ll have to leave his side sometime.”

Doug snapped his fingers and the freshman was let go. Then he pushed Dipper out of his way like he had before, but for some reason the second Dipper’s back hit the wall…

...it began to _burn_.

Not like he’d just been out in the sun too long, though, no.

It was like someone had doused his back in alcohol and threw a match on it.

Dipper didn’t even realize he was screaming. The only thing he could focus on was how his skin on his back felt like it was melting off. The feeling of claws digging into his exposed flesh only made him scream harder. At one point he noticed he was lying on the ground (when had that happened) and there was a conversation going on around him that felt miles away…

“What did you do? Dipper can you hear me?!”

“We-We didn’t do anything! We swear!”

He curled up, scratching at the floors, at his clothes. The claws that had dug into his back were dragging themselves down now, slowly from the tops of his shoulder blades down to the small of his back. Somehow, the dug out streaks the claws made burned _even worse_.

The only thing Dipper remembered thinking during that time besides how bad the pain was, was how he wished his sister was there…

After the eternity that could’ve been only been a few minutes at most, Dipper started getting his senses back. He began registering things other than the pain, which was lessening more and more into a dull ache. Like how he was lying down on his side, wet cheeks resting in a small pool of water.

Had he been crying? He wouldn’t’ve put it past himself if he had.

He also started to register the people around him. Right in front of him were the two teachers that had been at the end of the hall. They were saying something to him, but he couldn’t quite make it out yet. Next to them was the freshman, looking pretty spooked. Then behind them, looking the most scared out of all of everyone else there, was Doug and his cronies. They were all white as ghosts and looked like they’d shit themselves any minute.

Dipper was going to save that mental image for later, it was so satisfying. And he was definitely tormenting them with that later.

“-you okay?”

Dipper looked back to the teacher, finally understanding what they were saying. He tried to push himself up to talk to them better, but found that moving his shoulders only sparked fresh pain in his back.

He hissed, curling up more.

What on earth happened to him?

“Dipper? Hon, are you okay?” the teacher repeated.

Dipper swallowed and winced. His throat was beyond raw from all the screaming. “...my back… it… it _hurts_ …” he managed to say.

The other teacher whipped his head around, glaring at Doug.

“I didn’t do it!” Doug whimpered pathetically.

“I know you have a magical specialty in strength!” the teacher accused, pointing a finger at Doug.

“But I didn’t do it!” Doug repeated, nearly in tears. “I never use my specialty on school grounds!”

The teacher was just about to say something else, but was interrupted.

“...wasn’t him...” Dipper rasped out, surprising even himself. But he stood by his answer.

Sure, watching Doug get in trouble for hurting him would be the best thing that ever happened to Dipper, but he knew that Doug truly wasn’t the cause of his pain. For one, Doug wasn’t lying. He _never_ used his powers on school ground. Not even for bullying. It would’ve been far too easy for him to get in trouble for it, after all. And for another, Dipper knew what Doug’s powers felt like as he’d been caught off school grounds by Doug before.

This pain was completely different.

And while belated justice would be fantastic, if Dipper pointed the finger at Doug he might not be able to find out what the cause really was. And that was more important to him right now.

The first teacher started reached out towards Dipper. “Well, let’s see what-”

“No… don’t touch it,” Dipper cut her off, remembering the pain he’d felt just moving his shoulders. It still hurt pretty badly, but maybe in a few hours...

The teacher sighed. She reached out closer this time. “Dipper, we have to see-”

“No…” He just wanted them to wait a little longer so it wouldn’t hurt as much.

The second teacher frowned and reached out too. “Dipper-”

Dipper felt a hand on his back, pain blooming around the area, and he jolted, throwing his hand out to push them away. “Don’t touch it!”

Both teachers suddenly flew back, hitting the wall right next to the bullies.

Dipper shot up, ignoring the sharp pains as he gaped between the teachers and his hands.

He… he didn’t do that, did he?

Dipper could feel panic bubbling up in his throat. What was happening to him?

“D-Dipper…?” came a soft voice from beside him.

Dipper glanced over to see the freshman, terrified and hands shaking.

He spoke slowly and softly. “W-We should check your back… just to make sure you’re okay… okay?” His hands were outstretched, but didn’t dare get closer without Dipper’s permission.

Dipper, too shocked and panicked to do anything else, just nodded.

Slowly, very slowly, the freshman reached out and grabbed the hem of Dipper’s shirt. Dipper could feel every slight brush of the fabric against his sensitive skin and had to keep himself from lashing out and the new pain it brought. Luckily, it was much duller than before, so it wasn’t too hard.

The shirt didn’t even make it halfway up Dipper’s back before the freshman froze, gasping.

That was _never_ a good sign.

“What?” Dipper asked, unable to keep panic from seeping into his voice. “What is it?”

The freshman spoke, but Dipper saw the shocked and awed expressions of the bullies and the teachers before the words actually made sense.

“You’ve been chosen as The Second…”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My plan (assuming I'll be able to write that fast) is to keep this updating every Thursday until it's finished. So hopefully you guys can look forward to reading a new chapter of this every Thursday.
> 
> Also this is like 100% NOT beta read so... I'm sorry XD lol
> 
> Anyway, enjoy this next chapter!

Dipper studied himself in the several mirrors lining the closet walls. The shirt he’d been given had a near sheer back so the mark signifying him as The Second could be seen easily without having to undress. The sheer fabric was also light enough that it didn’t irritate his still sensitive back, so even though he felt naked at least he wasn’t naked and in pain.

Tilting his head, he looked once more at the mark.

It took up almost his entire back and looked like a simplified tree. Pine, if his memory of tree shapes was right. Inside the outline of the pine tree were more designs, twisting and curving around each other in patterns that looked far too fancy for how Dipper felt.

And it didn’t help that the damn thing was like this brightly shining gem. A light aquamarine that looked better fitted on a crown than embedded into his back. It was always said that being chosen hurt worse than anything most people had felt before… and now Dipper knew why. It was like someone had melted down a jewel and poured its molten essence into his back.

Chosen…

Dipper had been chosen.

The thought still hadn’t hit him all the way. Even as his teachers called the appropriate authorities and told them what happened. Even as said authorities came to pick him up. Even as he was escorted through the palace and given his own room and new clothes designed specifically for someone who was chosen…

Dipper slowly reached around. His hand hovered over the mark that was less like a mark and more like a permanent piece of jewelry. He hesitated for a moment, then let his fingers gently glide over the surface of it.

The second they did, he hissed and jumped. It had been at most a couple hours since he got it, and it still hurt. He had a feeling it would continue to hurt for days or even weeks. But that was to be expected, he supposed. Still, it was strange. It felt as smooth and solid and marble, but it melded and moved so perfectly with his skin that had it not been so reflective, he would’ve mistaken it for a very vivid tattoo.

Maybe… maybe that really is all it was. A tattoo. A practical joke someone had decided to play on him because they wanted his life to be even more miserable than before. After all, he wasn’t really The Second. He couldn’t be.

But then… wouldn’t someone have noticed by now if it was a fake? And…

Dipper held out his hand. Concentrating, a light blue shield surrounded itself around him.

...how would anyone be able to fake that? Dipper never had protective powers before. No one but those chosen to rule had the ability to create shields like that.

A knock at the door made Dipper jolt.

The shield pushed itself out, slamming into the mirrors and shattering every one of them.

Dipper stared at the mess in wide-eyed horror. “U-Uh, yes?”

The door opened, revealing one of the palace staff. She was completely unaffected by the scene before her. “You’re family is here. They’re in the front hall waiting for you.”

“Right.” Dipper paused, looking down at all the glass on the floor. “Um…”

“I’ll send for someone to clean it up,” she said, in the same professional tone.

“Okay.”

The trek from Dipper’s new room to the palace’s front hall was twisty and confusing. How he’d manage to find his way back… he didn’t know. It was also awkwardly silent. The staff at the palace were stiff and silent like they were trained to be, and it left Dipper feeling weird.

He breathed a sigh of relief, though, when he saw his sister pacing the front hall.

“Mabel…”

She turned at the sound of her name and lit up. “Dipper!”

Running at full speed, she slammed into Dipper and hugged him tight. Unfortunately, it irritated his back, and Dipper was unable to stop himself from crying out.

Mabel pulled back apologetically and held him at arm’s length. “Sorry… does it hurt?”

Dipper had to take a breath and wait for the pain to reside because  _ fuck _ had that hurt… Not that he would actually let on how much it had really hurt. “No. I’m just crying out in pain because it’s fun,” he said, playfully sarcastic.

They both smiled at each other and began walking back to their parents. Mabel making sure their arms were linked the whole time since she wasn’t allowed to hug him.

“Are you doing okay?” She asked quietly as they walked.

“Define okay…” Dipper murmured in response.

Dipper’s parents smiled when they got close.

“Hey, son…” his father said, placing a heavy but comforting hand on Dipper’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll get this all sorted out. I’m sure you’ll be back home in no time.”

Sorted out, huh?

The way he’d said that made Dipper feel like they were at the store trying to return an item that they’d been given by mistake. Not at the palace trying to help Dipper get situated with his new life.

“Ah! There he is,” a strangely familiar young woman said, a bright smile on her face as she entered the main hall. She bowed lightly to Dipper. “I’m Pacifica, and I’m here to help The First and The Second through their training.”

Oh, that’s right! Pacifica was part of the Northwest family, who’d been serving the rulers as advisors and assistants for generations. They were a vital part of the royal council. They were extremely well known public figures, and had recently announced their daughter would be following in their footsteps.

Looks like they were right.

Dipper’s mother seemed a little confused. “I don’t mean to be rude,” she said, “but you seem pretty young…”

Pacifica smiled sweetly, though there seemed to be a layer of insincerity to it. “I’ll be twenty in June. And I’ve already gone through my training for this. Now, back to the real subject we should be focusing on…” She paused for a moment, staring at Dipper’s parents and daring them to say anything else. When they said nothing, she continued, “Now that Dipper’s been chosen as The Second, his life is about to change dramatically. He’ll have to stay in the palace and complete his training-”

“I’m sorry,” Dipper’s father suddenly interrupted, causing Pacifica to huff and stop. “I just… I don’t understand how this happened.”

“Magic,” Pacifica replied effortlessly. “Magic is usually how it happens.”

“No! I mean… our  _ son _ ? How did our son get chosen?” Especially when it should have been their daughter…

Dipper subconsciously began holding on to Mabel tighter, and he could feel her worried gaze on him.

“ _ Magic _ ,” Pacifica repeated.

“ _ No _ . What I’m trying to say is-”

“There’s been a mistake,” Dipper cut in.

Pacifica’s shoulders, which had tensed during her argument with Dipper’s father, relaxed and she smiled again. She was trained to deal with the chosen’s worries, after all. Not the parents of the chosen. “Nonsense!” she said, her tone light again. “Being chosen is never a mistake. Even if you think you can’t do the job, you were chosen for a reason-”

“No, that’s not it…” Okay, so that was  _ kind of _ it, but also, “I’m  _ seventeen _ .” The First and Second were always eighteen when they’re chosen. Always.

Still, Pacifica kept on smiling. “That’s fine. Being chosen doesn’t alway happen right on the written birthday. Sometimes it can be a whole month off for various reasons. Like a mother lying about when their child was born. Or because of a typo. Don’t worry about it.”

“No, you don’t understand,” Dipper stressed, feeling more worked up by the second. “My birthday isn’t until  _ August _ . It’s five months away!”

That got to her. Pacifica paused, taking the information in, then shook it off. “Like I said-”

“Look!” Dipper’s father interrupted once more. This time Pacifica had to clench her fist to keep from acting out. “I was  _ there _ when they were born. So were their great uncles! There’s no  _ lying _ about that!”

“And typo?” Dipper’s mother added. “I think I would notice a five month difference in my children's birthday!”

Pacifica was taking deep breaths now, trying to calm herself down. “Yes, that’s… a little strange-”

“A  _ little _ ?!”

“If you would please?!” Pacifica yelled, finally snapping. Dipper’s parents shrunk back at the outburst, and Pacifica glared at them. “ _ Stop _ . Interrupting me.” She then turned to Dipper, her voice much calmer. “It’s a little strange, but it’s not a mistake. You were chosen for a reason, so you must’ve been chosen early for a reason too. Besides, you’re turning eighteen this year, right?”

Dipper nodded. “Yes, but-”

“Then you’re still within the right age group. Whether you were chosen  _ on _ your birthday or before it, you still meet every other qualification. You have the mark on your back, you’re turning eighteen this year, and you’ve gained the appropriate powers rulers get to protect themselves from threats. You’ve been chosen.”

From the looks on Dipper’s parent’s faces, Pacifica’s speech hadn’t done much aside from keeping them from voicing their concerns out loud.

But… Dipper did feel a little better afterwards. Even if it was only a little.

Mabel leaned over, whispering right into Dipper’s ear, “I’ve never seen someone shut our parents up like that before, that was amazing!”

Pacifica waited for a moment just to see if anyone else had anything to say, then she took a deep breath and said, with a pointed and concise tone, “Now let’s get back to the more important matter at hand. I’ll be giving you a tour of the palace, and explain everything you need to know while I do so. Understood?”

They all nodded, and Pacifica fully relaxed.

“Alright, then let’s go.”

* * *

 

Pacifica hadn’t been kidding when she said Dipper’s life would “change dramatically”. In fact, that was probably an understatement.

Dipper would officially move out of his house and into the palace, where he would live for the rest of his life. Sure, there were vacation homes scattered throughout the land where he and Bill could go to if they wanted, but their permanent home was here in the capital. Which… meant Dipper’s plans to move to the country to be closer to his great uncles and friends after high school had to be thrown out the window…

At least he would always be close to his sister and parents.

Then, since he wouldn’t be able to finish up either his junior or senior year in high school, he’d have to complete those years with the help of private tutors  _ alongside _ his training to be a ruler. Granted, it probably meant there’d be less group projects he’d have to do alone, but high school and ruling were two full time jobs. If Dipper ever got any time to himself it wouldn’t be until after he was already ruling.

He was also no longer Dipper. He was now Dipper and  _ Bill _ . He was part of a permanent, life long team with someone he didn’t know yet. And it would be assumed that if one of them did anything, the other would do it too. Unless it was proved otherwise that they couldn’t get along outside of their ruler duties. Which wasn’t that uncommon! Being chosen as ruler didn’t guarantee that you’d like the other person you were ruling with.

Pacifica ended the tour by leading them all back to Dipper’s new room, and by that point Dipper was feeling worse than he had all day.

“And that’s about it,” Pacifica finished, sighing contentedly. “If you’d like, you can spend the night here or you can head back home and visit tomorrow. Whatever you choose, just be sure to let the staff know so they can either make up a room for you or take you home.”

Dipper’s parents shared a look, nodded, and turned back to Pacifica. “We’d like a room-”

“Don’t.” Dipper held up a hand, stopping them. “It’s fine. You guys have work and school tomorrow, so… there wouldn’t be much of a point in you guys staying.” Besides, if his parents stayed much longer he was sure Pacifica would lose it.

“Dipper-”

“Yeah, right!” Mabel shouted, glaring halfheartedly at Dipper. “Like you’re getting rid of  _ me _ . Mom, Dad,” she waved a hand at them, “you two can go home, I got this.”

Pacifica looked mighty pleased at their parents’ expressions. “I’ll tell them to make you a room,” She said to Mabel.

But Mabel waved her off too, slinging an arm over Dipper’s shoulders and being careful of his back. “Don’t worry about it. We’ve shared a room every summer since we were twelve, and I really wanna see how soft that bed is before Dipper buries it under dirty clothes and nerdy books.”

“Whatever works for you.” Pacifica turned back to Dipper’s parents. “I’ll go let the staff know to start up a car and you can leave whenever you feel. And,” a sadistic little glint sparkled in her eyes, “if you two have anymore questions… the answer is ‘ _ magic _ ’.”

She glared at them one last time, and left.

Dipper’s mother huffed and muttered something along the lines of “rude little girl”, then they both turned their worried expressions to Dipper.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay here?” they asked.

Dipper shrugged. “As okay as I’ll ever be. Besides, Mabel’s staying with me tonight, so if anything happens she’ll be here.”

His parents weren’t convinced, but they knew he wasn’t likely to change his mind. And they were comforted at least a little bit knowing that Mabel would be here so Dipper wouldn’t be alone. “If you’re sure…”

They waved their goodbyes, promising to visit as often as they could, and soon enough Dipper and Mabel were left to their own devices.

The first thing Mabel did was jump on the bed.

“Oh my magic, this is the comfiest, softest, most luxurious bed I’ve ever felt in my entire life!” She melted into the comforter, waving her arms around like she was making a snow angel. “And it’s so big! What on earth could anyone do with all this bed space?!”

“Cover it in dirty clothes and nerdy books?” Dipper answered cheekily.

Mabel stuck her tongue out and grinned. “You know that’s what you’ll do, don’t deny it!”

She threw a pillow at Dipper, who caught it easily. He laughed and threw it back. “Oh, go get ready for bed already. Even though I’m sure you didn’t bring anything with you for staying the night.”

“Nope!” Mabel agreed brightly. “But I’ll just steal some of your clothes.”

Dipper chuckled to himself as Mabel bounced over to his closet, then he froze, remembering the mess he’d left in there. He turned and ran after her.

“Mabel, wai-!”

But she was already inside. She stared at the expanse of closet before her in absolute wonder. “Whoa! This closet is amazing! Look at all these mirrors!”

Dipper follower her inside, and sure enough all the mirrors were there, hanging on the wall like they hadn’t been shattered into a million pieces.

“Huh, they fixed them already,” he said, mostly to himself.

“What do you mean?” Mabel asked, pulling a few different clothing options out to try on.

Dipper bit his lip. “I, um… accidentally shattered them all earlier…” Mabel stopped. The look she gave him was so  _ done _ they could’ve put it in the dictionary next to the word. Dipper shrunk back and shrugged. “I was practicing some protective magic and one of the staff here startled me,” he explained defensively.

Mabel just shook her head, a smile creeping across her face. “You would.” And she went back to pajama shopping.

Dipper watched as Mabel twirled in front of the mirrors, thoroughly enjoying the luxury. She stood in the same spot Dipper had been just a couple hours ago. No doubt she would’ve handled this whole situation much better than Dipper had if she’d been chosen instead. 

He could imagine it clearly. She would have been right in the middle of her meeting, surrounded by caring friends. She’d be worried at first, but then when she realized what happened she would’ve squealed with joy despite the pain. Her mark would’ve been bright pink too. Probably shaped like a star or rainbow or smiley face or something. And she’d wake up every day with some new idea about how to do her hair so it wouldn’t cover her mark.

“Dipper?”

Mabel’s worried voice broke the illusion. The image of a chosen Mabel disappeared, and in it’s place was reality. It was at that point that Dipper noticed he’d been staring with watery eyes.

Hence Mabel’s worry.

“It should’ve been you…” Dipper whispered at last, finally voicing what he’d been feeling all night.

Mabel gasped and stepped off the mirrored platform. “Dipper…”

Dipper took deep breaths, holding back the tears. “Maybe… Maybe it meant to pick you, but-but mixed us up?”

Mabel took hold of Dipper’s shaking hands in her own and stated firmly, “We are not that easily mixed up. For  _ very  _ noticeable reasons.”

Yeah, that was pretty true. Even if you didn’t count the physical differences that were hard to ignore, everything else about them was completely different. Their personality, demeanors, tastes, and even the way they walked was different.

Still…

“It chose wrong though-!”

“No!” Mabel placed her hands on either side of Dipper’s head, forcing him to look at her as if that would help her message sink in better. “Dipper. You were chosen. The first to be chosen five months early, sure, but not the first to think it was a mistake. And even if it was, what are you going to do about it? Skin your back off?” She flicked his nose before crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re smarter than this.”

Dipper rubbed his nose. “Everyone else thinks it was a mistake…”

“And everyone else also thinks glitter waffles are gross, but that doesn’t stop them from existing,” Mabel said matter-of-factly.

That made Dipper smile a bit. “That’s because you make them,” he pointed out.

Mabel puffed her chest out proudly. “Damn right, I do.” Then she sighed and, with more serious sincerity Dipper had ever heard her have, said, “I believe you can do this, bro. You can do anything! And you won’t be alone.” She smiled at him and took his hands back in hers. “You always supported the idea that I would be chosen. So I’m going to support you now that you’ve actually  _ been _ chosen.”

Great. Now Dipper wanted to cry even more.

But in a good way.

“Thanks,” he managed out between the sobs he was holding back. He didn’t deserve a sister like Mabel.

Mabel smiled, holding onto Dipper’s hands tightly, then frowned. “Also, we’ve  _ got _ to figure out a better way to do this,” she said, referring to their hand holding. “Because there’s I can’t  _ not _ hug you.”

Dipper laughed and wiped away some of the tears that managed to escape. “I think if you just go under my arms and keep your hands on my shoulders it should be fine…”

Mabel did so, holding Dipper as close as she could, and sighed. “Well… it’s not  _ perfect _ , but it’s better than nothing!”

Dipper got more sleep than he thought he was going to that night.

It took some time to find a position that both didn’t irritate his back and was still comfortable enough to fall asleep in. But when he did, he was out like a light.

Turns out going through immense pain and having to deal with the biggest life change you’ve ever experienced in your life was  _ really _ exhausting. So much so that even having to fall asleep in a new place didn’t bother him. Then again, that bed  _ was _ really comfortable. And having Mabel there helped too.

Unfortunately… she was gone when Dipper woke up.

In her place was a note she’d left saying she had to go to school but didn’t want to wake him up just to say goodbye since she’d be back after school.

Dipper stared at the note, feeling a strange emptiness, until someone came to knock on his door.

“Come in,” he said, turning to face the door.

The same palace staff who’d fetched him yesterday came in. “Your lessons will be starting soon,” she informed.

“Okay.” Damn… he’d have to get ready now. And he missed breakfast too, that sucked. “Thank you!” Dipper called out just before the staff closed the door.

She paused, nodded, and left.

Dipper hopped out of bed and dressed. Halfway through getting his shirt on, he froze.

He was starting lessons today. Lessons to teach him how to rule over his people. Lessons that would solidify his position as The Second. Lessons that somehow made this whole situation much more real to him. He’d be taught how to handle sentencing criminals, solve disputes, use his new magic. And even more daunting…

He’d be meeting the one person who could make the rest of his life heaven or hell.

Bill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When the DIVINE FORCE OF THE UNIVERSE decides you're gonna be a ruler and you still think you can't rule. Dipper's parents mean well. They really do. But they're also NOT helping. Also Pacifica is probably my favorite character in this just sayin.
> 
> Join us next week for: MEETING BILL *dramatic music*
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's read, commented, and/or kudos this! I'm so glad you all are putting up with me for this! :D I love you all!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't supposed to be posted as late in the day as it was....
> 
> But! I'm now about halfway to finishing this in terms of writing it! All in all I'm expecting around 8ish chapters for this. And then we can get back to regularly scheduled programs of that one fic I'm randomly updating XD
> 
> And we get to meet Bill finally! There's just good news all around! Or maybe it's just all the sugar I had right before writing this... oh well
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D

After he got ready, Dipper was led to an empty room that looked more like a lecture hall than the classrooms he was used to.

Then he was just… left there.

Dipper stared at the door for a moment, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do in an empty room. Was he just supposed to wait? Why would they tell him lessons would start soon when no one was even there!

Didn’t they know that if he was left alone for too long he’d overthink things and send himself into a panic?!

Just like he expected he would, Dipper started to pace the room.

Assuming he was in the right place, Bill would be here any minute, and Dipper was getting more nervous by the second.

What if he was a jerk? What if he didn’t like Dipper? What if he thought Dipper being chosen was a mistake too? After all, word would have gotten out that Dipper was five months too young to be chosen. And Dipper’s parents wouldn’t be the only one thinking something was wrong with that! Would he think less of Dipper because of how much younger he was?

Finally, after what felt like hours, the door opened and revealed Bill.

He wore the same, revealing shirt Dipper did, but his was a soft yellow to match the color of his mark rather than the light blue that matched Dipper’s.

The second Bill laid eyes onto Dipper, a wide smile broke out on his face.

“You must be Dipper!” He walked forward, a little hop to his step, and held out his hand. “I’m Bill, as you probably know. It’s nice to meet you.”

Dipper accepted the hand, shaking it weakly. “Hey…” The cheerfulness threw him off.

Bill took a deep breath, turning serious for a moment. In a soft voice, he said, “I’ve… heard about the circumstances surrounding you and know that people could… talk about it but…” He squeezed Dipper’s hand, which he had been holding the whole time. “Well, I just want you to know early or not you were still chosen and I’m going to respect that. I mean,” Bill smiled in total sincerity, “the least I can do is give you a chance.”

Dipper let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, and out with it went all of the tension he’d been accumulating. “Thank you.”

And thank magic his First was so fucking nice. Dipper couldn’t assume that Bill would always be this wonderful and understanding as they got to know each other better, but it was a good sign at least. And that eliminated a good half of the worries and fears Dipper had been struggling with after being chosen.

Plus, there was just something about Bill that Dipper was drawn to. Maybe it was how attractive he was, but… no that was probably it.

“I’m…” Bill looked down a little sheepishly, “also a little glad that you were chosen so early, even though I understand this must be difficult for you.”

Dipper’s eyes widened, taken aback. “Really?”

Out of all the emotions he suspected people felt about him being chosen early, ‘glad’ wasn’t one he’d even remotely considered.

Bill shrugged and looked back up at Dipper. “Yeah. This is a really stressful change and… It’s nice to know that I won’t have to deal with it alone for five months.” He smiled again, though a little shy this time.

_ Oh _ …

All those feelings Dipper had felt, about being chosen wrong, about having to leave his life behind, about being separated from his friends and family, about whether or not his First would like him… those were all things Bill had been experiencing too! Bill was in the same situation Dipper was is (minus the being chosen early part), only had Dipper been chosen when he was supposed to have been, he would’ve had to deal with it alone for  _ five months _ .

So the fact that Dipper was already there meant that Bill wouldn’t have to handle those feelings alone anymore. And Dipper…

He smiled, leaning in closer. “You have no idea how much better that makes me feel,” Dipper admitted quietly.

Bill smiled back even brighter than before. “I’m glad.”

“Oh, great!” Pacifica said, coming into the room. “You’re both already here! Dipper, Bill. Bill, Dipper. But I’m sure you already knew that. Now since it’s only been a week since you started training, it would be kind of redundant to have you both taught separately due to ‘differing knowledge levels’ or whatever excuse is usually given for people chosen months apart. So Bill, you’ll be relearning everything you were taught in the last week. Not that it was  _ much _ but still.”

“That’s fine, I understand.”

“Great! Now let’s get started.” Pacifica paused, staring at the two of them for a moment before saying, “You will have to let go of each other before we do, though.”

And at that point, both Dipper and Bill realized they were still holding hands.

Dipper pulled away, blushing furiously. “Sorry,” he mutters. He couldn’t even look Bill in the eyes, he was so embarrassed.

But Bill just gave a soft laugh and said, “You’re fine.”

And somehow, Dipper actually believed him.

* * *

 

That first day revealed to Dipper just what his daily schedule would look like.

In the mornings, he had lessons on how the government worked. What the rulers did, who all the important members of the court were, all the current laws in place. It was a  _ lot _ of memorization. By the end of that first lesson, Dipper’s head was spinning with all the new information.

It also surprised Dipper that they wouldn’t be learning under the current rulers, like he thought they would. But it made sense. The rulers had actual  _ ruling _ to do, and didn’t have much time to sit here and recite basic facts all morning.

Instead, Pacifica would do so, and after she deemed Dipper and Bill knowledgeable enough, they’d start shadowing the current rulers and get first hand experience.

Though, with all the information they needed to know before, that could be months away.

After that, they were handed off to palace tutors to be taught the general education they would’ve been taught in high school had they not been chosen. But with Bill technically being a year ahead of Dipper, they’d have to be taught separately. Due to ‘differing knowledge levels’ or something.

Finally, they’d spend their time practicing their new magic. And despite the fact that the only other people who could perform that kind of magic were the current rulers, Dipper and Bill still weren’t going to be taught by them. Instead, they would just be practicing the simplest shields they could make over and over again so they could get a feel for it. Under the supervision of Pacifica, of course.

“All you need to do is form basically a wall between us,” Pacifica explained to Dipper. Bill, having already been there a week, already knew what was going on. Holding up a ball, Pacifica continued, “So if I throw this at you, it won’t hit you. Got it?”

Bill smiled at Dipper, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “And, hey. If you can’t do it on the first try, don’t worry about it.”

Dipper took a breath and thought back to his closet, when he’d made that shield surrounding his whole body. He’d done that without too much thought, but if he put a little more into it…

Dipper held out his hand in front of him. Pushing the magic out, it started solidifying in front of him. Like bricks, the magic continued until a perfectly translucent, light blue shield stood from floor to ceiling in between him and Pacifica.

“Wh- That’s amazing!” Bill stared in complete awe.

Pacifica hummed, pursing her lips. Then with no warning, she flung the ball right at Dipper’s head.

Dipper gasped, flinching and bracing himself for an impact when-

CRACK

After a moment, Dipper opened his eyes and realized that nothing had touched him. He looked over to Bill but saw that he and Pacifica were staring at a spot on the wall behind her… where the ball had lodged itself.

Dipper had accidentally made his shield thrown the ball back when he’d braced himself, not unlike what had happened in the closet.

He lowered the shield, panicking a little. Oh he was in so much trouble…

But when Pacifica turned back, she had an impressed grin on her face. “ _ Offensive _ defense? I like it!” She even giggled a little and whispered to herself something along the lines of “and they said this part wouldn’t be interesting”.

And, oh boy, if Bill hadn’t been in awe before, he sure was  _ now _ . “How did you do that?” he asked, a glimmer of wonder in his eyes.

“I… just did it?” Dipper wasn’t sure how to explain it, as the offensive part of his defense was new to him too.

“Well,” Pacifica said, straightening herself back out, “ _ how _ you did it doesn’t matter right now, as that’s not what we’re ‘supposed’ to be working on right now.” She rolled her eyes, clearly displeased by that. “What matters is that you can create the shield I asked you to make. So just… keep doing that, I guess. But be careful where you practice or you could hurt someone.” She winked at Dipper, genuinely smiling.

“How did you get so good at it, though?” Bill asked. He stared down at his own hands. “I still can’t do basic shields…”

“He probably has a pretty good handle on his original magical specialty,” Pacifica said, shrugging. She turned to Dipper, “What’s your specialty again?”

Dipper pulled out his pouch of seeds, took one out, and placed it in his hand. Within seconds, a three foot tree was growing from the palm of his hand. He met Pacifica and Bill’s wide gazes and smiled, saying, “Plants.”

“And  _ that’s _ how he got so good,” Pacifica said, turning back to Bill.

Bill frowned, confused. “Because he has plant magic?”

“No, because he has plant magic and grew a three foot tall tree from a seed in  _ seconds _ .” She gestured to Dipper as if to say “duh!” but wouldn’t actually say it out loud.

Dipper, not really seeing a point in having the tree anymore, pulled the stems and leaves and roots back into the seed and put it back into the pouch. When he was finished, he found them both staring at him again. He shrunk away from their gazes, a little embarrassed now.

Pacifica sighed, and turned back to Bill. “And then turned it back into a seed without breaking a sweat. Anyone with  _ that _ kind of control over their magic has a basic understanding of how magic in general works, and thus will master other magical abilities they may get much easier.” She poked at Bill’s foreheaded, saying pointedly, “As opposed to someone who never uses his magical specialty.”

Dipper perked up a bit, intrigued. “You don’t use your specialty?” That was… odd. “What’s it in?”

“...Mind magic,” Bill admitted a tad reluctantly. “I’ve got a pretty good control on not using it, but that’s because I  _ try _ not to use it.”

“You mean, you can go into people’s minds? Read their thoughts?” That was incredible! Not to mention  _ rare _ . The things that could be accomplished with an ability like that…“And you haven’t?”

“Of course not!” Bill gasped, offended at the very suggestion that he would. “Going into someone’s mind, even with their permission, is a massive invasion of privacy. It’s wrong.”

Pacifica hummed. “Well he’s not  _ wrong _ ,” she laughed a little “But it is the reason why you’re not doing so well with your protective magic. So just continue your breathing exercises for now.”

* * *

 

Finally, the day started coming to an end. After what felt like forever of Bill breathing and Dipper making the same shield over and over and  _ over _ again, they’d finally been left to their own devices.

Well, technically they were left to study and finish whatever homework assignments they were given, but it wasn’t strictly for doing work. Sort of like a study hall.

“Some first day, huh?” Bill said, slumping down into his seat once they were alone.

Dipper groaned, his head falling to the table. “You’re telling me…” he moaned and looked at the pile of books he’d been given to study. “I think these palace tutors are trying to kill me.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Bill laughed, sitting back up. “I’d be happy to help you with any homework you have, though,” he offered.

Dipper smiled. “Really? Don’t you have your own homework to do?”

Bill paused to take a look at his own pile of books. “Well, I can answer any questions you have, at least,” he said after a moment, smiling playfully.

Dipper smiled wider. “I might take you up on that.” But before he could start on anything, his phone buzzed. Sitting back up, Dipper pulled it out to see he’d gotten a message. His face lit up as he read it. “Oh! My sister just texted me saying she has some time to hang out!” And thinking back to the note she’d left him that morning, Mabel had probably made special plans to hang out with him.

Dipper shot up from his seat, but then paused when Bill said, “What about the homework?”

“I can do that later,” Dipper said, waving it off.  “And my sister only has so much time to hang out.” Because then she’ll be expected home for dinner and have her own school work to do.

“But they want us to use this time to do our homework,” Bill countered in a weird voice, on Dipper couldn’t quite place. “So that’s what we should do.”

Looking back between his phone and his homework, Dipper debated.

He really didn’t want to do his homework right now. Especially since he’d already spent the whole day in lessons with hardly a break. And he really wanted to see his sister since he wouldn’t be able to see her as often now. Plus, Mabel having time off from her clubs could be such a rarity.

But…

Dipper looked up at Bill.

…he didn’t want Bill to think he was some duty-shirking bum or anything. He wanted Bill to  _ like _ him.

Slowly, Dipper sat back down. “I guess…”

“I’m sure you’ll have plenty of times to see your sister later on,” Bill assured, starting on his studying. “But we have work to do now.”

Dipper glared weakly at his pile of homework, more than a little disappointed as he sent his sister a text.

Mabel would just have to wait for now.

* * *

 

Dipper didn’t get to see Mabel for another week. In between his new schedule, his desire to please Bill, and Mabel’s erratic activities, they didn’t have much time to meet up. Thankfully, Dipper and Bill got a day off during the week where they didn’t have to go to lessons (or study in general), and Dipper and Mabel planned to hang out then.

The week in between was a long and… weird one, though.

The more time Dipper spent around Bill the more he began noticing things about him. Things he didn’t quite understand.

He’d have to talk about it with Mabel, though, just to-

“Dipper!”

Dipper froze as he walked into the palace’s front hall and before he could help it, a great big grin spread across his face and he gasped.

“Wendy!”

The next thing he knew, he was running into his red-headed friend’s arms. She laughed at him, holding him close. Dipper laughed too and tried holding back tears because Wendy was  _ here _ ! One of his best friends was here! She almost never came to visit because she rarely had the time but she was here!

“Shit,” Dipper said, pulling back. “You didn’t tell me you were gonna be here!” And it made his whole week all the better.

“Of course I was gonna come!” Wendy gasped, offended. She smacked him lightly upside the head, grinning. “My best friend ends up being chosen as The Second, right after I  _ told _ him,” she jabbed him in the chest, “that he could end up being The Second? Duh, I’m gonna visit!”

Dipper rubbed the now sore spot but didn’t stop grinning. “But you have work!”

Wendy rolled her eyes. “That’s what vacation days are for!” Then she grabbed his shoulders and started twisting him around. “Now turn around and lemme see that mark of your-,” she stopped and gasped. “Oh my magic, that’s  _ gorgeous _ . That isn’t even my kind of thing, and I still think it’s absolutely  _ gorgeous _ !”

“ _ Right _ ?!” Mabel agreed, popping out of nowhere.

Dipper blushed and brushed Wendy’s hands off of him. “Oh stop. It’s a pain is what it is. It’s been a week and it still hurts.”

Mabel fixed him with a look. “But clearly not enough that you can’t be hugged anymore. So, get over here!” She opened her arms up wide, and Dipper laughed as he gave her a hug too.

Oh magic, how he missed them both.

“So speaking of being chosen…” Wendy not so subtly began. “Where’s your future husband?” She nudged him with her shoulder and wiggled her eyebrows.

Oh… that’s right. Dipper sighed, “Don’t get your hopes up, he’s not my future husband. And he decided to do some studying today.” Which Dipper certainly didn’t understand as they’d already spent the past week studying. Wasn’t he burnt out yet?

Wendy straightened back up, disappointed. “Really?”

“Oh my magic,” Mabel gasped, hand placed delicately over her mouth. “He’s a  _ nerd _ , just like Bro-Bro is!”

“It’s not that, it’s…” Dipper made a face. How was he supposed to explain this? And did he really want to try and explain it in the front hall of the palace? Dipper suddenly perked up. “Oh! Wendy, you haven’t seen my room yet!”

She stared at him for a moment, wondering whether or not she should smack him again for going off topic, but after a moment she understood.

“Oh yeah!” She smacked him anyway. “Can’t believe you were going to keep me in the front hall for so long.”

Dipper walked them through the winding halls as best he could (he did need to pull out a map at one point, though) to his room. They chatted lightly the whole way. Mabel made comments on the decor, Wendy mentioned how out of place she felt in fanciness of it all with Dipper agreeing, and overall it was a very pleasant trip.

After a few minutes, they made it to Dipper’s room, and Wendy made the appropriately appreciative noises. But once Dipper shut the door, Wendy spun around and crossed her arms, turning serious.

“Alright,” she started. “What’s wrong? He’s not abusing you or anything is he? ‘Cause if he is…” She clenched her fist, holding it up threateningly.

Dipper stepped back, waving his hands around and shaking his head vigorously. “What? No! No.” He wasn’t even sure Bill was capable of abusing him. “It’s just…” Dipper sighed, slumping down onto his bed where Mabel already was. “I feel… weird around him.”

“Why?” Mabel asked as she piled pillows around her for maximum comfort. “From what you’ve said and what the media says, he seems nice.” Then to Wendy, “You have to try this bed, it’s  _ amazing _ .”

Dipper sat back against the headboard of the bed. “Yeah but he’s just…  _ so _ nice. He’s like… perfect! I guess…”

Wendy paused in getting on the bed to give Dipper confused look. “And… that’s a bad thing?”

“Yeah, you’ve lost us here,” Mabel said, shaking her head.

Dipper sighed, slouching even more. “Well, maybe not so much a perfect person, but like… what you’d expect a perfect person to be? Someone who always thinks of others before themselves, someone who always follows the rules, someone who’s always understanding and never gets mad.” He groaned, trying to think of a better way to explain it.

He thought back to the last week. Back to how Bill acted in lessons in comparison to Dipper. How his tutors always commented on how good Bill was and how ‘good of an example’ Bill was setting and how they wished ‘more of their students were like that’ followed by a hard stare in Dipper’s direction. Like he  _ wasn’t _ doing everything they asked.

Dipper huffed, sitting back up. “He’s not perfect in the way that he’s this well rounded person you aspire to be, but perfect in the way that he raises the standards and makes it impossible for anyone else but him to reach them. You know?”

“So, like a goody two-shoes?” Wendy summarized for him. There was a certain distaste in her mouth at the words.

“Yeah…” That was a good way to describe it. “And it’s not entirely a bad thing, because he’s always offering to help me with my studies, and he’ll hang out with me if I’m feeling a little lonely, and it’s fun hanging out with him! I mean, I do  _ like _ him!” Really! Dipper did like him, it was just…

“But?” Mabel prompted.

“I don’t reach his standards,” Dipper admitted after a short pause. “Like, we have this study time where we can work and finish any assignments we have, kind of like a study hall, right? And even though it’s not mandatory, he still insists that we see it out the whole way, even if we’ve finished our work because ‘that’s what they want us to do with our time’, or something. He’ll do that with everything too. And… I wouldn’t say he  _ lectures me _ , but if I do something that isn’t studying during that time or… or sneak a roll from the kitchen or something, he’ll make some kind of comment and guilt me into doing the ‘right thing’!”

Dipper felt a little bad about complaining about Bill, almost like he didn’t have a right to since Bill was technically doing what he was supposed to. And Dipper couldn’t be angry that he was following the rules.

But also, it was  _ really _ pissing him off.

“He even told Pacifica when I tried something  _ other _ than a basic shield, which technically we’re not supposed to do.” But then again, all he did was make it so the shield was curved instead of a flat wall. “I mean, Pacifica didn’t care ‘cause she says that I’m advanced enough that it doesn’t really matter to her, but who does that?!”

Wendy gasped, “He’s a  _ snitching _ goody two-shoes?!”

As someone who often threw rules out the window, Wendy found the idea of a goody two-shoes a tad offensive. Not too much, but add ‘snitching’ on to that and suddenly it became personal for her.

Dipper felt better with her shared frustration. Just knowing he wasn’t alone in all this. He sighed, anger dissipating.

After a moment, he said, “But like… what does that mean? Am I…” Dipper bit his lip. “Am I the  _ bad _ one?”

“The bad one?” Mabel and Wendy asked together, sharing a confused look.

“The rulers are chosen to balance each other, right?” They both nodded, and Dipper continued. “So does that mean he’s the good one and I’m the bad one he has to keep in line?”

Then they both groaned.

“Oh, come on, Dipper,” Wendy said, rolling her eyes. “That’s not what it means by balance, you know that.”

“Besides,” Mabel added. “No one is clear cut ‘good’ or ‘bad’. It’s not that black and white.”

“You haven’t met him!” Dipper countered. “He’s like… the embodiment of  _ good _ !” He pulled one of the pillows from Mabel’s comfort throne and buried his face in it.

“No, he’s a goody two shoes. They’re not good, they’re  _ annoying _ .” When Dipper didn’t respond, Wendy sighed and said in a softer voice, “Give it time, and I’m sure you’ll find some kind of bad habit he has.”

“I doubt it…” Dipper moaned into the pillow.

Mabel patted Dipper on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, you were chosen for a rea-”

Dipper raised his head, glaring probably harsher than he intended, but he was  _ so _ tired of hearing that damn sentence. ‘Chosen for a reason’ his ass.

Mabel cleared her throat, laughing nervously. “I mean… I’m sure it’ll work out!”

Dipper took a deep breath, trying to forget his anger, and smiled weakly. “Well… enough about me. What have you guys been up to?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has anyone ever met someone like that? Someone who's just SO FUCKING NICE and GOOD? I have. It wasn't fun for me... they made me feel bad about myself T^T and I'm a goody two shoes!
> 
> Oh, how will Dipper survive living with the world's most infuriatingly nicest person? Find out next week on... whatever this is!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's kudos and/or commented on this so far! <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm switching this over to Friday updates for the sole reason that I forgot to upload the chapter yesterday... so that's a thing lol
> 
> We're also probably at around the halfway point right now, and shit's bouta go down... so that's also a thing.
> 
> And as the last thing I'll mention, I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

If someone had asked Pacifica Northwest what she wanted to be when she grew up, her answer would not have been “my father”. It would have been “firefighter”. It would’ve been “unicorn”. It would have been “anything  _ but _ my father”.

And yet, there she was, shadowing her father as he performed his duties as royal advisor.

Sitting in meeting after meeting after meeting after meeting.

“This is important for you to know, Pacifica,” her father, Preston Northwest, chastised when he caught her staring off into space.

“What, you mean the walk from meeting room A to meeting room B?” she said, gesturing to the hallway they were passing through on their way to yet another meeting. “I think I can read a map, dad.”

Preston stopped and turned to Pacifica, a frustrated frown on his face. “Not that. Being the royal advisor. Who do you think the rulers are going to get advice from after I’ve stepped down?”

Hopefully someone else, considering Pacifica’s only advice of ‘don’t get chosen as ruler’ was a tad unhelpful now.

“As a Northwest-”

“Yes, I  _ know _ ,” Pacifica cut in. She turned to face her father with an equally frustrated look.  “‘As a Northwest, it’s tradition that I guide those chosen through their roles as rulers’. You’ve been telling me this since I was born, okay? And you’ve been teaching me how to since before I could even read! I’ve got this!”

Preston frowned, less than impressed. Finally, he said, “There’s always something new to learn.”

Pacifica rolled her eyes. “Like  _ what _ ?”

“Sir!” Pacifica and Preston’s argument was interrupted by a palace staff running up to them. The staff stuttered to a stop, bowed quickly, and said, “There’s someone in the front hall imitating Bill and claiming to be The First.”

Preston started to grin, and slowly he turned to Pacifica with a smug look. “Like that,” he said. Then he gestured for the staff to lead the way and followed along.

“You’re just lucky he showed up when he did,” Pacifica hissed lowly, but followed as well.

When Pacifica and Preston made it to the front hall, the first thing they noticed was Bill waiting patiently while surrounded by guards.

Of course, whether or not it was actually Bill had yet to be determined.

Preston turned to Pacifica before heading in. “Now wait here and watch carefully,” he said, still insufferably smug.

“Like I’ve ever done anything else,” Pacifica muttered to herself. She leaned against the wall of the connecting hall, just out of sight of others but not enough that she couldn’t see. Just like she was taught.

“‘Bout time someone showed up,” ‘Bill’ said, an incredibly out of place smirk on his face as he noticed Preston approaching.

Immediately, Pacifica knew this wasn’t the Bill she knew. The real Bill would never speak like that to someone, let alone have such a cocky aura! That lazy attitude, crossed arms, lax position… Whoever this was certainly did a good job making himself look like Bill, but clearly didn’t do enough research on how Bill acted.

Preston noticed as well. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” he demanded.

“Name’s Bill!” ‘Bill’ greeted in a cheery and loud voice. He didn’t even offer a hand to shake like the real Bill had done when he first showed up. “And as for what I’m doing here, well…” ‘Bill’ looked around and shrugged, “isn’t this where The First goes when they’re chosen?”

Preston kept his hard stare, unmoved. “There can only be one First,” he said, “and he’s already been chosen.  _ You’re _ not The First. You can make yourself look like him all you want, but it won’t change that. So, who ever you are, you need to leave before I have you arrested for impersonating royalty.”

That wasn’t the answer ‘Bill’ wanted.

Immediately, that happy expression took a darker turn. ‘Bill’s brow furrowed, his lips curling downward in disgust and he stood a little taller. “I’m not impersonating anyone! I  _ am _ Bill!”

Still, Preston didn’t flinch. “The real Bill is in lessons at this very moment. There’s nothing you can do to convince me that you’re him.”

‘Bill’ started glaring in earnest now. “Didn’t you hear me?!” he yelled out, arms uncrossing as he gestured to himself. “I’m not pretending to be that prissy little shit!”

“And yet here you are,” Preston sighed, almost sympathetic towards ‘Bill’, “looking like Bill and calling yourself by the same name.”

“An unfortunate coincidence, yes,” ‘Bill’ snarled. His fists started to clench up, and for a moment Pacifica felt concerned for her father’s safety.

There was something about that exchange that got Pacifica thinking. The way ‘Bill’ was talking, it was like he really  _ wasn’t _ trying to impersonate the real Bill. He talked about him like the real Bill was a completely separate person and they just happened to look exactly the same. In fact, that’s exactly what ‘Bill’ had said in fewer words! Normally when people pretended to be chosen, they didn’t acknowledge that another person had already been chosen. Or if they did, they referred to them as a fake.

But there was no way this ‘Bill’ could have been chosen right? There couldn’t be more than two people chosen!

…Right?

It had certainly never happened before, but then again no one had ever been chosen five months early before either. And yet there was Dipper, months away from being eighteen and sporting the telltale mark and powers. It wasn’t nearly as strange as a third person being chosen but…

Something about this all told Pacifica that they were about to experience something no other rulers or advisors had experienced before.

Preston, without warning, grabbed ‘Bill’s shoulder and spun him around to lift up his shirt. With a ‘tsk’ and a shake of the head, Preston released a livid ‘Bill’. “And you even have his same mark, even though each chosen’s mark is unique to them.” Preston looked at ‘Bill’ in disappointed sadness. “You have a mighty good specialty there, imitating others, but that talent is best used elsewhere. Take him away.”

With Preston’s command, the guards swarmed around ‘Bill’. They grabbed at him and started pulling him back towards the palace entrance.

‘Bill’ struggled and growled, “Get  _ OFF OF ME _ !”

In the next instant, all the guards had been pushed back, flying across the hall and away from ‘Bill’. And surrounding ‘Bill’ instead was…

A light yellow, transparent shield.

Pacifica gasped. It was exactly like the one the real Bill had accidentally made during his initial examination to determine if he was really The First.

Only, from this ‘Bill’s reaction to it, he’d  _ meant _ to make that one.

Preston’s eyes widened, and he took a step back. “That’s not possible…” he mumbled, still not believing it was real. “Only someone who’s been chosen to rule has powers like that! Who-Who  _ are  _ you?!”

‘Bill’ strode forward, an intent to kill radiating off him kept Preston in place out of pure fear. When they were a mere foot apart, ‘Bill’ yanked Preston forward by his collar so that they were eye to eye. Preston fell to his knees, not sure what to do and scared for his life.

‘Bill’ leaned over him, keeping their faces close.

“I. Am.  _ Bill _ ,” he snarled, the last word sounding as if two different people were saying it. ‘Bill’s glare and harsh tone lessened. “And you will get me to my rightful place on the throne, willingly or not.”

Preston suddenly grew lax. ‘Bill’ let him go, and he stood to bow to ‘Bill’. “As you wish,” Preston said, lazily monotone.

Seconds after, the guards who’d previously been knocked out stood as well. They had blank and glazed looks as they trudged behind ‘Bill’, giving him what looked like his own personal army.

‘Bill’ nodded, pleased with himself. “Now show me to that idiot who’s taken my place so I can get rid of him.” Then he smirked wickedly. “As you said… there can only  _ one  _ First.”

Oh  _ shit _ .

Pacifica held her gasp and ran back down the hallway where she’d come from. She needed to get out before that ‘Bill’ found her, or she’d become part of his mob of brainwashed drones!

The looks, the mark, and now the same powers as Bill! What was he, a clone?

It didn’t matter now. There was a lunatic running around the castle looking for the real Bill’s head! A lunatic who could take control of other people and make them do his bidding!

She had to get to Dipper and the real Bill.

* * *

 

If Dipper could pick any day to skip lessons, it would be today. Both Wendy and Mabel had decided to stay the night so they could hang out with him after his lessons, and damn it he wanted to hang out with them now! After all, Mabel would be going back to school tomorrow, and Wendy would have to go back to work. So he wanted to spend as much time as he could with them before.

But when he’d tried to play it sick that morning…

“You’re not just pretending to be sick so you can skip lessons to hang out with your friends are you?”

Dipper had hid behind his door even more, and Bill gave him the most ‘I’m So Disappointed In You™’ look he could possibly manage without actually getting upset or angry.

It was like every kicked puppy in the world was staring at him and blaming him for being kicked.

The guilt wrung at his heart for a moment before Dipper finally caved, sighing and saying, “I only mean that I might be a little late since I overslept and haven’t gotten ready yet.” Dipper smiled and laughed nervously.

Bill definitely didn’t buy it, but at least that awful look went away and he left so Dipper could get ready.

Groaning, Dipper shut his door and leaned against it.

Mabel whistled lowly. “I see what you mean about Bill…”

So there he was, sitting through his lessons and barely even concentrating on what they were learning. Whatever. Dipper could always do some extra studying to make up for what he was missing. Because no doubt Bill would guilt him into staying for their study period at the end too…

“Stop the lesson.”

Everyone there jumped as Pacifica, white as a ghost, strode into the room.

“What’s going on?” the tutor asked, concerned. There were very few reasons why anyone as high ranking as Pacifica would disrupt lessons, after all. None of them good.

“The First and Second are in danger,” Pacifica said as she pulled a confused Bill and Dipper from their seats. “They need to be taken to a safe place until the trouble has been dealt with.”

She didn’t bother waiting for the instructor to respond before guiding Bill and Dipper out of the room and down several back hallways.

“Where are we going?” Dipper asked, half running to keep up with Pacifica.

“To the safest place in the whole palace,” Pacifica said. She kept looking around corners as well as behind them as they walked. “Heavily barricaded and practically impenetrable.”

Dipper started getting dizzy from all the turns they made. “Why do we need to go there?”

Pacifica faltered in her step, probably internally debating whether or not to actually tell them what was going on. Then she stopped. Turning around to look them both in the eyes she said, “Because someone has infiltrated the castle with intent to harm one or both of you, and neither of you are prepared to handle that level of threat yet.” She turned back and resumed her pace, saying to herself, “I’m not sure anyone is…”

Dipper could feel his stomach drop. His own step stuttered as he felt his muscles freezing up, and he didn’t bother commenting on Pacifica’s last comment. He didn’t want her elaborating on their inability to handle this new threat when he was already panicking at the fact that there was even a threat to begin with.

Sneaking a peek at Bill, Dipper found him standing tall but looking paler and paler as each second passed.

With a stronger sense of urgency, Bill and Dipper managed to keep up with Pacifica much easier. And after a few more minutes of twisting through back halls and running down sets of stairs, they made it to a large doorway leading to a rather comfortable looking living space.

The two foot thick barricaded door kind of killed the casual vibes the living space tried to give off, though.

Two guards ran up from behind them, bowing, before saying in unison, “We’ve been instructed to guard The First and Second.”

Pacifica eyed them warily, then stepped aside and let them escort Bill and Dipper inside.

Dipper turned back around to face the guards and Pacifica. “And this will keep us safe?” he asked, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.

“It’s the best we have,” one guard assured.

“You’ll be safe here,” the other one added.

Bill sighed in relief, and went to sit down on one of the beds provided. Dipper, on the other hand, looked at Pacifica. She was much less confident than the guards.

“Is there anything else we can do?” Dipper asked her.

Pacifica’s gaze, which had been focused on some point in space, met Dipper’s. For a moment, he thought she wasn’t going to say anything. Then, without even a sparing glance towards Bill, she said, “Don’t let him find you.”

And the door slammed shut.

“Dipper,” Bill said from his spot on the bed. “I’m sure there’s no reason to worry.”

Dipper spun around. “No need to worry?!” he cried, incredulous. “We’ve been shoved into the most protected part of the palace! Because someone is coming here to kill us!” Had Bill not been paying attention?!

“They said we’d be fine,” Bill said calmly, “and I trust that.” Dipper could tell that Bill was keeping his voice low and comforting in the hopes that it would calm Dipper down.

It didn’t work.

“Well I don’t!” Dipper admitted. The guards seemed pretty sure about how safe they’d be, but Pacifica… “We have powers specifically given to us so we can defend ourselves against an attack like this! So why are they keeping us down here?”

Pacifica had been clearly shaken. Her comments left Dipper with the feeling that what they were dealing with was more than anyone was expecting. She wasn’t certain, she wasn’t confident, two things she  _ always _ is. That and… what she said before she left sounded almost like she wanted them to do something else. Maybe it was just wishful thinking but…

_ Don’t let him find you _ .

Bill sighed. “Because they think we’ll be safer here,” he said gently. “And- what are you doing?”

Dipper had pulled out his pouch of seeds. Grabbing a few, he placed them on the ground next to the door and started focusing on them. “Getting out of here.”

Bill’s eyes widened in slight horror. “Why are you leaving? They told us to stay here!” he cried.

“I’m not going to listen to them!” Dipper replied. The roots dug down into the concrete, slowly as it wasn’t very easy, and then up into the mechanics of the door. Dipper let them root around for a bit, searching for the locking mechanism.

Just when he heard the undeniable click, Dipper felt himself being pulled up and away from the seeds and door until he was face to face with a very worried Bill.

“Sorry,” Bill muttered quickly for his rough treatment. “Dipper, please! They know better than us-”

“Do they?!” Dipper scoffed. “Something is  _ wrong _ , Bill! I can feel it! We can’t stay here!”

“We were told to stay here-”

“I’m done doing what I’m told!” Dipper finally yelled, breaking free of Bill’s grip. He stepped back, glaring only halfheartedly. “Someone’s trying to  _ kill us _ ! They’re looking for us so they can kill us, and everyone in this  _ damn  _ palace knows where to find us! I’m getting out of here, because at least then, if that asshole gets this far he won’t be able to find us!” He panted a bit as his rant came to an end. Taking a deep breath so he didn’t sound quite so panicked, Dipper held out a hand towards Bill. “Now come on.”

Bill stared at the hand sadly for a moment, then looked up and said, “We were told to stay here. So, I’m staying here. It’s the right thing to do.”

“Bill…” Dipper stretched his hand out closer to Bill. “I’m trying to protect us.”

“By going against the orders of those who are more experienced than us. Who know better than us. There’s a reason they put this room here, and it’s because they knew it would work.” Bill paused, thinking for a moment. Then he said, slowly, “Maybe… maybe this is why we were chosen to work together. So that I can help you learn to do the right thing.”

Dipper pulled his hand back like he’d been burned.

Wow… he… he really didn’t think Bill would’ve gone there. That Bill really would’ve used that insecurity against him.

He could feel the years of having teachers telling him the “right thing” to do in the face of bullies creep back up on him. And he suddenly realized why Bill’s attitude bothered him so much. No matter how much more well meaning Bill was about it…

He was just like those teachers.

“Doing the ‘right’ thing has never helped me,” Dipper muttered. He turned to the door and pushed it open.

Funny, the guards weren’t there anymore. Either they were really lazy or really confident. Whatever the reason, it made it easier for Dipper to escape.

With one last look at Bill, Dipper said, “I’m leaving, Bill. I hope you’ll follow but…”

Bill looked absolutely heartbroken. It was even worse than the look he’d had that morning, but Dipper wouldn’t be swayed this time. Bill stared at the floor, guilt starting to show as he said, “I… It’ll be your own fault if you get caught.”

Those words hurt more than Dipper was ever willing to admit.

Without another word, Dipper shut the heavy door behind him. Bill or no Bill, he couldn’t stay there. Mabel and Wendy were still somewhere in the palace, somewhere in the path of a murderous maniac, and he’d never be able to live with himself if they got hurt.  _ They _ didn’t have protective magic.

Running through the back halls, Dipper headed for his room where Mabel and Wendy should’ve been.

Or at least… he tried. Dipper still wasn’t that acquainted with the main halls of the palace let alone the much more confusing back halls, so to say he got lost a few times was more than an understatement. And after the fifth wrong turn, Dipper was wondering if it would’ve been worth the risk just to take the main halls. He could’ve run into the maniac looking for his and Bill’s heads, but at least he would’ve found his friends earlier and made it out of the palace by now-

Wait a minute.

Dipper stopped running and backed up a bit.

That was a laundry room.

Thinking quickly, Dipper darted inside and shut the door behind him. His eyes fell on a basket of freshly dried staff clothes, and he grabbed the plainest and most unimpressive outfit he could.

Staff uniforms were designed to blend into the background, after all. And if Dipper wanted to get through this palace unseen, he needed to wear something other than the bright blue shirt that showed off his shiny and reflective mark. The striking black pants needed to go too. And just for good measure, Dipper took a handkerchief that cleaning staff always wore over their mouth and nose.

Was it the best disguise? No. Not at all. But it would be better than nothing.

Dipper, now all changed, poked his head out of the laundry room. Checking both sides of the back hallway to make sure it was clear, Dipper stepped out and continued on his path-

Only to hide behind a door frame as he heard the sound of several footsteps.

Peeking out from his hiding spot, Dipper could see several guards marching through the main hall just at the end of the back hall Dipper was in. They were probably on their way to fight off the intruder. So it’s not like Dipper needed to risk being seen to go find out what they were doing. Right?

Of course not.

Keeping himself as close to the wall as possible, Dipper slowly moved closer to the entrance of the main hall where the guards were. The guards were well past the entrance by the time Dipper got there, so he poked his head out to see who all was there and-

Wait… was that…?

“Bill?” Dipper whispered to himself.

Leading the troops, was the royal advisor and Bill! Or a guy that  _ looked _ like Bill. That obviously wasn’t Bill. It couldn’t be!

“Come on! Chop, chop!” The Bill look-alike commanded. He huffed and kicked Pacifica’s father in the back. “I want to get this over with  _ before _ I die of old age, alright?”

Definitely not Bill.

That must’ve been the threat Pacifica mentioned. The guy who wanted to harm either Bill or Dipper. And if Dipper had to take a guess, he was pretty sure the guy wanted to harm Bill and take his place. Why else would he have disguised himself as Bill?

Unless something bigger was going on.

Because why would Pacifica’s father and all those guards follow him like that? Did the guy have similar powers to Bill?

Well, it didn’t matter now. Dipper didn’t have time to think on it. He needed to get to Mabel and Wendy in the hopes that they weren’t hurt so they could get out of here.

As soon as the mob of entranced staff was gone, Dipper ran out and in the opposite direction towards his room.

Luckily, it wasn’t far.

“Dipper?”

Wendy and Mabel stood up from the bed where they’d apparently been playing a card game. Both equally concerned.

“What’s going on? What happened to your-”

“We have to go,” Dipper cut in, pulling Wendy and Mabel along like Pacifica had done to him earlier. “I’ll explain everything once we’re in the clear, but we have to go!”

“Where’s Bill?”

Dipper gave them a grave look. “He’s… not coming. But we have to get out of here! Now!”

It was a little easier to get out of the castle once he knew where the intruder was going, and in almost no time they’d hijacked a car and were driving away. Dipper spared a glance back to the palace as they left.

He really hoped Bill would be okay…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now we have two Bills, both of which are dicks for entirely different reasons! That's... NEVER good.
> 
> I'm also starting to enjoy this story a bit more! And I don't know about you but I think that's pretty damn great tbh lol I started out liking this story, then it became a "I HAVE TO FINISH THIS" kinda story which meant I was sort of rushing through it and not putting my usual thought process into it, but now I'm back to actually enjoy this! :D So that makes me happy!
> 
> I don't know what that means for you guys, but hopefully it's good lol
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's commented and kudos-ed so far! :D I appreciate you all!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have now passed the halfway mark. Literally. Based on the planning I’ve done, this story is going to be 8 chapters. Meaning I only have two more chapters to write! Then FREEDOOOOOOOOOOOOOM to write my other stories. lol
> 
> But I mean other than that I can't think of anything else to say so...
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter! :D

Wendy didn’t stop driving until they’d made it to Gravity Falls, a small town nestled deep into the woods that was both her hometown and where Dipper and Mabel would visit during the summers to stay with their great uncles. Its remote location and general obscureness made it a much safer place for Dipper to hide out than the capital.

Maybe not the safest, what with how anyone looking for Dipper would check family places first, but it was the best they could do. For now, at least.

They got there by dusk, early enough for there to still be light but late enough for the fireflies to be out.

Dipper stared at them as they flew around, too tired to do anything else.

“Dipper?” Mabel called gently from the front seat, turning to face him. “You okay?”

No, he wasn’t. He was probably the farthest thing from okay now. He’d spent the last few hours alone with his thoughts and they were killing him! Not that he could say that out loud.

“I’m… I’m worried,” Dipper finally admitted.

“About that intruder?” Wendy asked. She’d turned around in her seat as well, since they were parked now.

“About  _ Bill _ ,” Dipper clarified, and it was like the floodgates had opened. Everything he’d been thinking about suddenly spilled from his lips in a rushed panic. “Oh, I never should’ve left him. That guy was probably after Bill specifically, and I just left him at his mercy! Bill can’t use his powers yet, how can he defend himself?!”

Wendy reached back to hold onto Dipper’s hand reassuringly. “Dipper… it was Bill’s choice to stay-”

“And it was my choice to leave!” Dipper’s eyes started tearing up, and he had to take a moment to wipe them away. “I have better control of my magic, I could have defended both of us if that guy got close to Bill. I mean… what if something happens to him?”

“Well, he’s The First. So it’s not like he can really be  _ killed _ .”

“Being killed isn’t the worst thing that can happen to someone.”

“I’m sure he’s fine, Dip,” Mabel jumped in. “He wouldn’t have been chosen if he wasn’t able to handle a situation like this.”

Dipper just shook his head. “All I ever did was complain about him, too… I mean yeah, it was annoying that he was such a rule follower, but he was also really sweet and encouraging and really just wanted the best for me… and I left him.”

Wendy stared sadly at her broken friend then said softly, “Come on. Let’s get you inside…”

Wendy motioned for Mabel to get out and help her escort Dipper inside. Or rather, help her pull Dipper out of the car. From the way it looked, Dipper probably wouldn’t care if he started fusing to the seat.

They hopped out of the car, taking Dipper with them and headed for the front door of Dipper and Mabel’s great uncle’s shack.

“You know…” Dipper said, voice barely louder than a whisper. “I wouldn’t have minded if he ended up being my future husband. I could’ve seen myself falling in love with him, you know if he ever loosened up about the whole rules thing… and now… now I’m not even sure if he’ll ever want to speak to me again.”

Mabel, the one who’d heard Dipper’s quiet confession, hugged him close as they walked. “It’ll be okay,” she whispered back.

The front door of the shack burst open before they got to it. Stan and Ford, Dipper and Mabel’s great uncles, ran out and scooped their great niece and nephew into relieved hugs.

Ford pulled away from Dipper, holding him at arm’s length to check him over. “Dipper! You’re okay, thank magic!”

“Yeah, I am,” Dipper replied a little slowly, confused. “Did you hear about what happened?”

“Hear about it?” Stan cried out, letting go of Mabel. “It’s been on the news for the past several hours! Is it true?”

“Is what true?”

Ford led them all inside as Stan explained what they’d heard.

“The news has been saying that The First who was chosen was actually a  _ fake _ who was impersonating the real First! And that he’s been abusing you this whole time. It said that the true First marched into the palace this morning to save his Second, you, but that when he got there, the fake had sent you away.”

What?

Ford shut the door, locking it for good measure, and then added, “He’s got testimonies from some of the staff, including the royal advisor  _ and  _ the rulers, but they were… odd. They didn’t seem like they were acting like normal. Even so, the now proclaimed ‘True First’ has sent an order saying that should anyone see you, they should report it to him so he can ‘save you’.”

“He’s lying,” Dipper said immediately.

Stan let out a triumphant cry. “Hah! I was right!” Then he leaned over, both hands on Dipper’s shoulders as he said, “Don’t worry, Dipper, I never believed it for a second!”

Ford yanked Stan back, glaring halfheartedly. “Don’t try and insinuate that I, or anyone else in town for that matter, believed it. I couldn’t imagine anyone believing it.”

“Well, you shouldn’t,” Dipper said. “Bill isn’t a fake. He wouldn’t have made it so far as the front hall if he had been. And he wasn’t abusing me either! He was probably the nicest person I’d ever met and…” He thought back to what he’d said in the car, and his gaze dropped to the floor. “ _ I’m _ the abuser… I left him in the hands of that monster.”

Stan sighed and placed a hand back on Dipper’s shoulder, this time for comfort. “Kid,” he started softly. “I’m sure you just did what you thought was best. It’s not like you handed him to that so called ‘True First’ on a silver platter.”

Dipper shrunk back a little but… he supposed that was true. It still didn’t excuse him leaving Bill alone like that.

“Whatever happened in the past doesn’t matter now,” Ford said, drawing their attention. “What matters is that we need a game plan. The True  _ Imposter _ has everyone looking for you, and I have no doubt that he’ll be looking for you too. And the first places he’ll check are-”

“Family,” Wendy cut in. “He’ll look to see if you’re hiding with your family.”

“Exactly. And depending on how quickly he moves, he could-”

Three bangs on the front door silenced them all.

They froze and looked to each other with the same looks of fear. Because… that couldn’t possibly be- there was no way! He couldn’t have found them already, could he have?!

Ford motioned for them to all be quiet. As if anyone would dare to speak… Then he reached into his coat, pulling out a magical gun of his own creation. Aiming it towards the door, he slowly crept along. He was extra careful to avoid any squeaky floorboards. There were more bangs on the door as Ford made his way over, moving from three at a time until it was just a constant but frantic beating on the door.

Everyone held their breath, as Ford grasped the door handle, gun at the ready.

The door swung open and-

“Pacifica!” Dipper gasped.

Low and behold, Pacifica stood on their doorstep. She leaned back and away from the gun pointed at her face, more than a little displeased.

“You know her?” Ford asked, not lowering the gun.

“Yeah! She’s our advisor.”

“And she’d very much appreciate you  _ not killing her _ !” Pacifica yelled.

Ford was still wary, but he lowered the gun and put it back in it’s holster. He glared at Pacifica, a silent warning. Pacifica glared back. Then he stood aside, letting her in.

Dipper was the first to speak after the door was once again shut. “What are you-”

“Doing here?” Pacifica finished for him. “My job. Bill’s already been captured so I can’t help much there, but you were not and will definitely need help to keep it that way.”

“How did you-”

“Escape? I’m guessing the same way you did. And as for how I found you, because I know that’s what you’re going to ask next-” Dipper shut his mouth. That had been his next question- “I had to do a little digging, but once I found out your friend there grew up in the same place your family lives…” Pacifica shrugged. “Well, it wasn’t exactly that hard to find you. Which is good for me, but not so good for you.”

Dipper’s shoulders dropped, and everyone around him swore. “Oh no…”

“Yeah, meaning we don’t have a lot of time here. Now, come on,” Pacifica rushed. “We should go to the most hidden part of this…” She paused and  looked around, frowning. “What is this place? A hovel?”

“A shack,” Stan answered dryly.

Pacifica shook her head. “Not much better. Anyway, we should get ourselves hidden in case that Bill Look-a-Like Weirdo gets here. I’ve got a lot to say and not a lot of time to say it.”

* * *

 

The shack Stan and Ford owned had a hidden basement underneath it. Ford had built it for his lab where he studied magical anomalies, and Stan had hidden the entrance behind a vending machine after he turned the shack into a tourist attraction. With it’s high tech equipment and magic impermeable walls, it was as perfect of a hide out as they were going to get.

There weren’t very many places to sit, though, so they had to make due with cluttered desks and machinery.

Ford, the last one down, shut the door behind him and twisted the giant latch shut. He sighed, turning to Pacifica. “So what’s going on?”

“I can’t tell you much,” Pacifica started, sitting up straight, “as there’s still a lot I don’t know, but it’ll be better than nothing.”

“So who is that guy?” Mabel asked. “The one who looks like Bill but isn’t?”

“I’m not entirely sure who he is, but he’s not pretending to be Bill, that much is sure.” Everyone gasped and murmured in disbelief, but Pacifica held a hand up, silencing them. “He may look exactly like Bill, with the same mark and powers and everything, but he considered himself a separate person who just  _ happens _ to be the physical and magical carbon copy of Bill. And he get’s very mad if you suggest he  _ is _ impersonating Bill.” Pacifica looked down at her lap, hands clenching at her sides. “After my father did that, the guy took control of his mind.”

“But it’s not like he was actually chosen, so why go to the trouble?” Ford asked, half talking to Pacifica half talking out loud as he tried to figure it out himself.

“That’s just the thing. He  _ was _ .”

“That’s impossible!” Stan cried.

“He had the protective magic only rulers have,” Pacifica explained, shrugging. “Powers you can only acquire by being chosen. I don’t know what it means, the fact that someone who’s the exact same as Bill aside from personality was chosen, but it’s not good news to say the least.”

“He wants to take Bill’s place, doesn’t he?” Dipper asked lowly. Though, he already knew the answer to that.

“More than that.” Pacifica sighed, knowing this next part would be hard for Dipper to hear. “...He wants Bill dead.”

Dipper’s face fell in horror, just like Pacifica expected it would. Everyone’s did, really. But Dipper’s was the worst. He slumped in his seat, nearly falling off had it not been for Wendy keeping him up, the guilt weighing him down even more.

“How?!” Wendy exclaimed. She turned to Dipper as she spoke, half assuring him that, “Rulers  _ can’t  _ be killed.”

Pacifica winced a little on the inside. She’d really hoped she would never have to share this information with her rulers… Her father had always told her that if saying this would mean that the worst case scenario had happened. “That’s… not entirely true.”

Everyone stared at Pacifica, expressions a mix of shock and confusion. Ford was the only one who leaned closer in curiosity.

Pacifica took a deep breath. “A ruler can only be killed by one thing: the other ruler. It’s a loophole in the magic that protects rulers in case something were to happen. So if one ruler becomes corrupted or brainwashed or something, the other one can eliminate the threat that they’ve become. It’s only happened a handful of times in our written history, and they’re covered up well so it can’t be taken advantage of. But even with those measures… This new ‘Bill’ has found out about it and plans on using it to kill the original First.”

“So…” Dipper’s voice was barely audible. He choked up a little, nearly unable to say the words, “Bill’s dead?”

“No.” The first good news of the evening. “Bill, being The First, can only be killed by The Second.  _ You _ .”

“But this new guy has been chosen too! Shouldn’t he be able to kill both Bill and me?” Dipper asked in a brief bout of panic.

Pacifica shook her head. “I don’t think so. The fact that he hasn’t already killed Bill and is still searching for you suggests that he can’t kill him on his own. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be parading Bill in front of the public and demanding a worldwide manhunt for you.” She paused, then said firmly, “Bill’s still alive, Dipper. And he’s alive because of  _ you _ .”

Dipper’s panic began to subside, but his brow still furrowed in confusion. “How? I… I left him. If I’d been there-”

“If you’d been there,” Pacifica interrupted, “the guy could’ve taken control of you and forced you to kill Bill right then and there. But you weren’t, so Bill’s still alive and still has a chance to be saved. And we  _ will _ save him.”

Dipper let the words sink in.

His guilt still yelled at him, telling him that had he forced Bill to escape with him then he wouldn’t need to be saved now, but Bill was still alive. He could still be saved. Maybe Dipper let Bill be captured, but feeling guilty over it would do nothing to help. If he ever wanted to see Bill again, apologize for leaving him, then now was the time Dipper needed to step up to the plate.

He would save Bill.

With renewed determination, Dipper sat up straight and said, “So how exactly do we fight this guy off?”

Pacifica gave a brief smile before turning serious once more. “I’m not sure we have many options to… with his ability to control other people through their minds, any plan we come up with could be thwarted by him taking control of us.”

Ford nodded in agreement. “We could barricade ourselves with weapons and traps all we like, but we have nothing to protect our minds!”

Dipper’s eyes widened as he gasped, “...Maybe  _ I _ do, though.”

“How?” 

“My protective magic gives me the ability to make physical shields,” Dipper stumbled over his words as they tried to catch up with his thoughts. “Maybe I can make mental shields too! I mean it’d be the same sort of process magic wise, with just slight variations to accommodate its location and purpose.”

Ford smiled proudly. Then he leaned over to Pacifica and said, “I taught him that. About magic.”

Looking around the room, Pacifica wasn’t surprised.

She shrugged. Those two clearly knew more about magic than her. “It’s not unlikely. If anyone would be able to make a mental shield, especially this early in training, it would be you.”

“But wouldn’t he be able to break through them?” Stan asked. “Thanks to that loophole?”

“Thankfully, no,” Pacifica said. “The loophole only allows rulers to  _ kill _ each other. If this so called ‘True First’ wanted to break through any of Dipper’s shields, he’d have to have the intent to kill. And,” she turned to Dipper with a slight smirk, “I doubt he wants to kill you when you’re the only thing he can use to reach his real goal. So I’d go ahead and practice some mental shields, if I were you.”

Dipper had already started practicing.

“Now what?” Wendy asked after a short silence. “We have a sort of idea about what we’re dealing with, how little of a chance we probably have against him, and that he’ll most likely be here within the next twenty-four hours.” She paused, then added, “Not to be negative or anything.”

“She’s right,” Ford admitted. “The closest thing we have to a plan is that Dipper might be able to keep this guy out of his head.”

“I think we should get back out on the road,” Wendy said, standing. “That guy could be here any minute, and we still don’t have any idea of how to deal with him. We need to keep Dipper safe.”

“We can’t risk it,” Pacifica countered immediately. “There’s no telling where he’d be or if we’d run into him. Plus, if anyone saw us while we were out, then we’d have no idea if we could trust them not to rat us out.”

“But we  _ know _ he’ll come if we stay here! Getting out now would give us more time to plan something.”

“Or it could run us right into his hands all the earlier!”

Dipper thought while they bickered. They were both right, in a way. If Dipper left, he wouldn’t know when or where that guy would show up to take him, who he’d hurt to get Dipper back. But if he stayed, then he’d certainly be found, risking his own family’s and friends’ lives if he resisted.

But then… the more Dipper thought about it, the more he realized what it was he needed to do.

“We stay here,” Dipper finally said, looking up.

Wendy and Pacifica were about at each other’s throats. Mabel stood between them, trying to keep them apart.

Looks like Dipper spoke up just in time.

“We’ll fortify the shack,” he continued, “and hide out until he comes. If we’re lucky, he’ll pass over us and move on, giving us time to think of a proper plan. Leaving now would mean that we’ll risk passing him on the roads  _ without _ a plan. And we can’t afford that.”

Wendy and Pacifica stepped away, Wendy with slumped shoulders and Pacifica puffed proudly.

“If that’s what you want to do…” Wendy sighed, “then let’s settle in. This could be a bumpy ride.”

Dipper definitely wasn’t going to argue with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's comments throughout this chapter were something along the lines of "FUCKIN' FORGET BILL ALREADY, DIPPER" and "plz don't save him"
> 
> So that's what my friend thinks about this nice Bill lol
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's commented and/or kudosed this time around! I appreciate you all!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWO MORE CHAPTERS TO GO
> 
> And by the way, I've OFFICIALLY finished this so while I'll still be keeping a weekly schedule for updating I'll also be working on other things. Like, you know, that other fic I was writing before my friend had a birthday
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter! :D

Dipper didn’t know how long it had been, how long they’d been down there just coming up with plan after plan after plan, before the banging started.

The sound of stomping feet and furniture being turned over still managed to be heard from three floors underground. Ford had to physically restrain Stan so he wouldn’t attempt to go up and try to fight the intruders, knowing full and well that it would be the Bill Look-A-Like.

“That’s my  _ stuff _ ,” Stan whisper whined.

“Your stuff or your  _ great nephew _ ,” Ford reminded.

Dipper flinched with every sound. No matter what he told himself, he couldn’t get his nerves to calm down. Mabel, sitting next to him, placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered quietly. “We’ll be safe.” Though, it didn’t sound like she believed it herself.

Dipper shook his head. “No we won’t.”

The stomping continued, getting louder and louder. Each thud vibrated through the walls of the shack. They got stronger and stronger, closer and closer until…

The door slammed open.

A mind controlled Soos stood in the doorway, and Dipper could feel his heart break. No doubt he decided to come back to into town to help, but ended up running into the one person he needed to avoid. The one person who’d take advantage of the fact that he was the only person outside of the basement who knew it existed and how to get there.

Everyone else in the room stood, making sure to keep as many people between Dipper and the incoming threat.

But it was all in vain. In the next second, their limbs grew lax, heads lolling around like puppets, and they slowly dragged their legs until they were back along the sides of the room. Then they collapsed, unconscious, leaving a perfectly cleared path to…

“Bill…” Dipper let the name escape before he could help it.

The Look-A-Like grinned, pushing past Soos and striding forward towards Dipper. “Close! But not quite! I mean, technically, yes. I am Bill, just not the Bill you’re used to seeing! Completely different Bill with the exact same name! It’s really quite-”

“What do you want?” Dipper interrupted harshly.

‘Bill’ blinked as if shocked, then laughed. “Wha-? So serious! Lighten up now! You really think I’m going to hurt you?” He almost sounded genuinely confused. “You’re The Second!  _ My  _ Second!” he clarified, gently taking hold of Dipper’s face in his hands. “And I want you on my side. After all, what’s a First without their Second?”

Dipper pulled back, shuddering at the touch. “A murderer,” he spat.

‘Bill’ smirked. “Clever. Now as for what I want, well…” He spared a glance towards Pacifica. “You already know that now don’t you?”

“You…” Dipper gulped, almost unable to say it. “You want me to kill Bill.”

“Clever and  _ smart _ , too!” ‘Bill’ giggled like a child in a candy store. “I’m liking you more and more every second!”

“I won’t do it.”

‘Bill’s grin fell for a moment, and he sighed. “And there’s the catch… Not that I was expecting you’d join me right away, of course!”

“I’ll never join you!” Dipper yelled. He pushed ‘Bill’ back, making him stumbled a bit. “Ever!”

But ‘Bill’ wasn’t fazed. “Never is a strong word,” he mused, “and I’m not really sure you mean that. I mean… I’m sure you’d join me if you had the right incentive. Say…” he looked around, then met Dipper’s gaze and grinned, “your loved ones?”

Dipper gasped, taking a step back. “What… what do you mean?” he asked softly.

“You know what I mean,” ‘Bill’ said. “If you don’t join me, then I’ll destroy your loved ones’ minds!” He shrugged, nonchalant. “It’s not really that hard.”

“I thought you said you wanted me on your side!” Dipper cried. “You really think killing my family is going to make me like you?!”

‘Bill’ outright laughed. “I don’t need you to be on my side  _ willingly _ ! Silly!” He wiped a tear from his eye, then said much more seriously, “And don’t even think about trying to kill me now. I could easily end all these people’s lives before you managed it, and then you wouldn’t even find where I hid your Bill!” He sighed, happy with himself. Raising a hand, ready to snap his fingers, he said, “Now what’ll it be? Me? Or your family?”

Dipper glanced down at his friends and family. The people who tried so hard to protect him. Who were always there for him no matter what.

“Tick tock, kid,” ‘Bill’ drawled teasingly, his fingers getting ever closer to snapping.

“Wait.”

‘Bill’s fingers stopped just as they were about to snap, and he grinned.

Dipper didn’t look up from the floor. “I… I’ll go with you.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Just- Just don’t hurt them, okay?” Dipper said as he looked back up. “If I go with you, you can’t hurt them.”

“Sure!” ‘Bill’ shrugged, gesturing for one of his minions to come forward. “If I have you then there’s no reason for me to do anything to them.” When the minion was close enough, ‘Bill’ took whatever was in their hands and threw them at Dipper. “Now here.”

Dipper caught them clumsily. Looking closely, he realized they were his clothes from the palace. “Wha-?”

“You think I’m gonna show you off looking like some servant that rolled in the mud?” ‘Bill’ scoffed. “Come on, have a little class!”

“Fine…” Those staff clothes were a little scratchy anyway. “But you have to turn around! Don’t look.”

‘Bill’ rolled his eyes, but the smile didn’t leave. “Sure, sure. Whatever,” he laughed and spun around.

Dipper changed, blushing furiously the whole time. Not only was he undressing in front of a psychopath, but he was undressing in front of his unconscious friends and family… He changed as quickly as he could, knowing that ‘Bill’ probably wouldn’t be considerate of his privacy for very long.

Dipper faced away from Bill while he changed his shirt, and the second his palace shirt was on, he heard:

“What an adorable little mark! A pine tree right?”

Dipper felt fingers graze along his back, and he gasped involuntarily as tiny blooms of pain spread with the unwanted fingers.

“Don’t!” he cried, jumping away.

‘Bill’s fingers were still outstretched, but he didn’t move them any closer. “Still sensitive, I see.” That and Dipper really didn’t want ‘Bill’ touching him. ‘Bill’ pulled his fingers back, both hands on his hips as he grinned. “Don’t worry, Pine Tree. I meant what I said about not wanting to hurt you!”

Dipper froze, confused. “Pine Tree?”

“My nickname for you. Cute right? Now come on!” ‘Bill’ rubbed his hands together gleefully then threw an arm around Dipper’s shoulders, leading them out of the shack. “Let’s go! I’ve got big plans for us, and I want to get them done with so we can start ruling together!”

Dipper didn’t say anything. He paused in the doorway, looking back at his friends and family passed out on the floor.

‘Bill’ noticed and rolled his eyes. “They’ll be  _ fine _ ! I only knocked them out a bit. They’ll wake up in a couple hours, realize what happened, and then move on with their lives since they know they can’t do anything about it!”

Dipper sure hoped ‘Bill’ was right and that they’d really be okay. But seeing as his only word of assurance was from ‘Bill’... well, he wasn’t that assured.

“I’ll be back,” he promised quietly, before ‘Bill’ pushed him forward and back up to the surface.

“No you won’t!” ‘Bill’ laughed.

When they got outside, a decently sized crowd had gathered. They were all people from town who knew Dipper and his family, who knew better than to believe what was going on. They gasped when they saw ‘Bill’s arm around him.

‘Bill’ noticed. “I know how you must all be feeling,” he began solemnly, his voice carrying over the crowd, “knowing now that our beloved Second was being hidden under your very noses. But worry not. The Second has finally been found and is safe.”

‘Bill’ smiled, and for a moment it almost seemed like he was genuine… But then Dipper remembered who this really was.

They stood there for just a second, letting the news sink in with everyone there, then ‘Bill’ started guiding Dipper to the car he’d arrived in. It was one of the fanciest cars the palace owned. ‘Bill’ let Dipper get in first. Dipper tried getting a view of the townspeople, but in mere seconds, ‘Bill’ had also climbed in and commanded the driver to go.

‘Bill’ saw Dipper trying to look back, and laughed. “Like any of those hillbillies would be able to do anything to help you.”

“They’re not hillbillies!” Dipper protested. Then after a look from ‘Bill’, he muttered, “Okay, maybe they are hillbillies, but don’t say it like it’s a bad thing!”

“Whatever you say, Pine Tree,” Bill teased. He leaned back in his seat, lounging.

Dipper stayed rigid, though. He didn’t want to relax, not with that psycho so close to him. Even so, his mind started to wander. He thought back to his friends and family, still unconscious on the floor. He thought back to the townspeople, the looks on their faces when they saw him with ‘Bill’...

He was stirred out of his thoughts by a foot lazily pushing at his side. Dipper looked up and saw ‘Bill’ eyeing him with that ever present grin.

“Aww, what’s with that face you’re making, huh?” ‘Bill’ asked.

Dipper pushed the foot away, glaring. “You lied to them.”

‘Bill’ laughed. “Like lying is beneath me? Aww!” He sat upright, taking hold of Dipper’s hands in his own. He kissed them gently. “You must think so highly of me! How precious.”

Dipper made a disgusted noise, pulling his hands away and scooting as far over and away from ‘Bill’ as he could. “You’re the worst,” he spat.

“Because I lied?” ‘Bill’ chuckled a little, then to himself as he rolled his eyes, “So morally upright.”

“Because you threatened me into joining you like that!” Dipper corrected, yelling at him. “You manipulated me by trying to hurt my family-!”

“Oh please,” ‘Bill’ interrupted, briefly annoyed before grinning again. “Don’t give me that shit, you wanted to be captured!”

Dipper froze. “What are you talking about?”

‘Bill’ relaxed back into the seat. “You knew that was a terrible place to hide, and you had plenty of time to get out and find some other place! But you didn’t, did you? And you barely even put up a fight! I throw out one measly little threat against your friends and family, and you cave? You  _ wanted _ me to find you.”

Dipper’s heart dropped, fear creeping through his veins. “You read my mind.”

But ‘Bill’ shook his head. “Didn’t need to. You’re not that hard to figure out, you know. You let yourself be found because you knew the longer you ran and hid, the longer you’d be putting your loved ones in danger. So you sacrificed yourself to keep them safe. Classic hero complex.”

Oh good. There was still a chance that ‘Bill’ wouldn’t be able to get into his head. But there was only one way Dipper would know for sure…

“So what makes you think I’d even consider killing Bill?” Dipper asked, crossing his arms.

‘Bill’ sighed, the grin falling. The cheerful tone to his voice was gone. “Well, I was  _ hoping _ that you’d just see reason, but I guess that was more wishful thinking on my part.”

“I won’t do it,” Dipper reaffirmed.

“You know, I don’t need your permission, right?” ‘Bill’ said, scarily serious.

Then he yanked Dipper forward by the waist, knowingly placing his hand on Dipper’s back roughly to keep him close. The other held Dipper’s head in place, forcing him to keep eye contact.

‘Bill’ continued eerily calmly, “I’m giving you the option of joining me on your own terms, because I thought you’d appreciate the courtesy. Because you're my Second. But if you want to throw that away, I’d be more than happy to rework some of those wires in your head. You’d do whatever I say, whenever I say it, regardless of what it is.” ‘Bill’ tilted his head curiously. “Is that really how you want to live your life?”

It was now or never…

Dipper blinked away the tears of pain, and said firmly, “I’m not killing Bill.”

‘Bill’ glared for a second, then shrugged like he was only mildly annoyed. “That’s fine, then I’ll just-” he stopped short, eyes wide and angry. “What in the…” ‘Bill’ used both hands this time to hold Dipper’s head steady, but it only made him more frustrated. Finally, he said, “I can’t get into your mind!”

Oh thank  _ magic _ . Dipper’s shield really did work mentally as well as physically.

Keeping the relief from showing on his face, Dipper glared back. “Did you really think it was going to be that easy? I thought I wasn’t that hard to figure out.”

‘Bill’ studied Dipper carefully. Finally, he bit, “What did you do?”

“I’m practically an expert in my original magical specialty, making full grown trees in seconds-” an exaggeration but still- “not to mention my great uncle spent most of my childhood teaching me about magical theories. Did you really think I wouldn’t be able to make mental shields to keep you out?”

‘Bill’ glared, focusing pretty hard on Dipper, no doubt in one last attempt to break through Dipper’s shields. Then surprisingly, he grinned like he was genuinely happy he couldn’t get into Dipper’s head!

Which was… unsettling.

“Powerful, smart,  _ conniving _ …” ‘Bill’s hold on Dipper’s head relaxed, and his hands threaded themselves through Dipper’s hair as he said lovingly, “Oh, we’ll make a great pair, you and I.” But after a moment, he frowned. “I really don’t understand. Why would you want to stick with him?”

“With who?” Dipper asked, a little distracted by the fingers in his hair. “Bill?”

“Yes. Him,” ‘Bill’ said. “Why him? We’re clearly a much better fit, and yet you still stand by him!”

Well that was obvious. “Because he’s my First,” Dipper explained.

“ _ I’m _ your First,” ‘Bill’ stressed, almost pleading. “And what’s  _ he  _ done for you, huh? Berated and looked down on you because you don’t always follow the rules? Because you’re not the perfect little Second he wanted you to be? He didn’t bother to listen to you and get out of the castle while he still had the chance, because he thought you were some stupid little delinquent.” ‘Bill’ lowered his voice a little. “I saw in his mind how disappointed he ended up being when he realized he had  _ you _ for a Second.”

Dipper wasn’t swayed.“You realize I have no reason to believe you, right? You’ve already shown me what kind of character you are, that you’ll stop at nothing to get what you want.”

“But you also know it could be true,” ‘Bill’ whispered meaningfully.

Dipper didn’t say anything, but that was answer enough for ‘Bill’. Smiling too innocently for it to be seen as such, ‘Bill’ leaned in close enough that their foreheads were almost touching.

“If you played along with me,” he said, slowly so the words would sink in better, “ _ willingly _ became my Second, it wouldn’t be like that. I’m not disappointed to have you. And you’d be the good one of us. Our people would love you because of how good you are in comparison to me. Unlike now. They couldn’t possibly love you as much with that other Bill by your side. Because you know that you could never be as good and as right as him. With me… you’d be wanted, appreciated,  _ loved _ . Don’t you want that?”

“... _ yes _ ,” Dipper finally admitted after a second. Oh magic, he did want his people to love him. He didn’t want his people thinking lowly of him because he wasn’t as good as Bill was. For once in his life, he wanted to know what it was like to  _ be _ liked.

‘Bill’ leaned in closer, lips mere millimeters from Dipper’s. “Then join me.”

Dipper pulled away, not saying anything. He kept his head down and his gaze out the window.

In the reflection, Dipper could see ‘Bill’ smirk to himself. He knew that he got to Dipper, got his words under his skin and into his mind. And that it would only be a matter of time before Dipper surrendered to them. Bill was sure that Dipper would join him eventually.

And that’s just what Dipper was counting on.

With the idea that ‘Bill’ could easily sneak into someone’s mind and see their thoughts, Dipper had to keep the details of his plan away from his friends and family and deep inside his mind. At least until Dipper was sure that ‘Bill’ wouldn’t be able to read his mind. And now that he knew his mental shields worked, Dipper could put more of his focus into it.

It was fairly simple and probably pretty basic. Dipper would heroically join ‘Bill’ to save his family, resist the offers to actually join but gradually become less adamant about staying good, then finally agree to follow through with ‘Bill’s plans only to betray him at the last minute and save the real Bill.

So technically, ‘Bill’ had been right when he said Dipper wanted to be found. Just, not for the same reasons.

The whole plan was so simple and basic, though, that Dipper actually feared ‘Bill’ would figure it out before he could pull it off, but it was the only plan he had. And it’s not like he had many other options.

After all, the only way Dipper would be able to stop ‘Bill’ would be by killing him.

He… wasn’t looking forward to that, but if it meant saving the real Bill and everyone else from that monster, then he’d do it.

And then the only way to kill ‘Bill’ would be by being near him. But the only way he could get near ‘Bill’ without suspicion would be if he joined ‘Bill’! All Dipper needed to do now was find the real Bill, then get ‘Bill’ alone and… kill him instead.

It was the riskiest, most dangerous thing Dipper had ever planned to do but… if he managed to pull it off, everything could go back to the way it was before.

Assuming Bill wouldn’t hate him after all of this, of course…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dipper: I know! I'll trick him into thinking I want to be on his side by saying I don't want to be on his side! It's FOOL PROOF
> 
> Anyway, we're building up to the climax here :O
> 
> Thank you all for commenting/kudosing!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONE. MORE. CHAPTER!!!!!! After this one that is lol
> 
> But let's see how you handle this one first ;) (aka shits bouta go DOWN)
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter! :D

Bill’ surprisingly left Dipper alone for the rest of the trip. He was probably hoping that Dipper would be mulling over what he’d said, and thus didn’t want to interrupt. But whatever the reason, Dipper was grateful.

Eventually, though, they had to interact.

You know, seeing as how they were pulling up to a remote building instead of the palace, like Dipper thought they’d be going to.

“Where are we?” he asked, unable to keep the slight fear out of his voice.

“Pine Tree, come on.” ‘Bill’ rolled his eyes, moving to get out of the car. “I’ve already told you I’m not going to hurt you. And even if I wanted to, I still need you to kill the other Bill for me so hurting you now wouldn’t do me any good.”

‘Bill’ shut the door before Dipper could answer. Dipper turned to open his own door, only to find that ‘Bill’s minion had opened it for him. ‘Bill’ appeared beside the minion, smirking.

Dipper glared. “Even so, my question still stands.”

“And you’ll get your answer.” ‘Bill’ paused. “Later. Now, come.” He held his hand out to Dipper, who just stared at it. ‘Bill’ leaned in a little, whispering slowly. “You’re supposed to take it.”

Dipper looked back up at ‘Bill’ and glared again. He push the hand aside, getting out himself. “I don’t wanna take it. I can walk myself.”

“You don’t even know where you’re going,” ‘Bill’ pointed out, calling after Dipper.

Dipper didn’t look back, eyes locked on the main entrance of the building. “I’m assuming we’re going to the building. So that’s where I’ll go.”

He stomped up the gravel, but nearly fell over as a hand on his hip pulled him over to the side suddenly. Dipper tried to find his feet, but ended up having to hold on to the thing that was dragging him away for stability. He looked up at what pulled him off course and…

‘Bill’ grinned down at him. “True, we’re going to the building, but we’re going in the back way.”

Dipper groaned, reluctantly letting himself be dragged along. At least ‘Bill’ had slowed down enough to allowed Dipper to find his footing again.

As they walked, Dipper kept close attention to their surroundings. The building was right in the middle of a large clearing, with thick forestry lining the edges. It was far, far out from the rest of society, and the building itself was sturdily built. Even the doors were heavily fortified, Dipper noticed as Bill took them inside. The walls and floors were bare. The barely working lights flickered in the hallways, giving the building a creepy feel.

‘Bill’ kept them moving at a relatively fast pace, so Dipper couldn’t get too good of a look inside the rooms they were passing, but from the quick glances he got- Dipper gasped.

“It’s a magic facility,” he finally concluded. “But one that hasn’t been used in years.”

“Very observant!” ‘Bill’ applauded cheerfully.

“Why did you take me to a magic facility?”

Magic facilities were used to test and experiment on magical powers. What… what was ‘Bill’ planning? Was ‘Bill’ going to try and find a way to force himself into Dipper’s mind?!

“You’ll find out,” ‘Bill’ said, unhelpfully. “But first…” He directed them into a locker room of some sort, setting Dipper down on one of the benches as he pulled some clothes out of one of the lockers. “I need to change.”

Dipper stood, simply out of petty defiance from being told to sit. “Change? Why?”

And why now? Couldn’t Bill have changed earlier? Why did he have to store clothes into the locker of some abandoned magic facility rather than just change earlier?

“So we can match!” ‘Bill’ explained brightly, holding up the clothes. “These are the official clothes of those who are chosen, right? I should wear them!”

The fact that the shirt was the same color shirt the real Bill wore didn’t make Dipper feel any better.

But he huffed and looked away.

“Whatever makes you feel better, I guess,” he muttered.

Dipper could hear the sound of fabric rustling, and against his wishes, his gaze trailed back up to ‘Bill’.

It was strange… It was something he’d been ignoring in the basement and the car but… Dipper could feel that same connection he felt to the real Bill when he first met him. That feeling of being drawn to the other. But it was drawing him to ‘Bill’ now.

Catching sight of ‘Bill’s mark as he changed, Dipper became mesmerized. His hand reached out, almost against his will. It paused for a moment. Just hovering over ‘Bill’s back before gently caressing it.

‘Bill’ froze, letting Dipper touch him, and he chuckled. “Your hands feel nice roaming my body like that,” he teased.

“Shut up,” Dipper spat, but he didn’t stop.

The mark covering ‘Bill’s back, the same mark he’d seen before… it was  _ actually _ a mark! The marble like feel of it mirrored his own mark impeccably. And-

“You were chosen the same day as Bill.”

‘Bill’ chuckled a bit. “Oh? Was I?”

“Your mark-”

“It’s the same, yeah.”

“No,” Dipper corrected instantly. “It doesn’t hurt. You’re not flinching when I touch it. You’re  _ letting _ me touch it. Bill didn’t let me touch his for a week and a half after he got it at least because of how it would hurt. You…” His eyes widened. “You really are The First.”

“I told you I was,” ‘Bill’ said smugly.

Dipper’s fingers slowed, and he murmured, “ _ My _ First…”

‘Bill’ spun around, elated shock on his face as the words that had fallen out of Dipper’s mouth registered in his head.

Dipper, pretending that he hadn’t intentionally whispered those words, let his mouth hang open and he turned away. “No! I-I… I didn’t mean to say that. You’re not my First!”

“Don’t you see?” ‘Bill’ said, grabbing Dipper by the shoulders and turning him back around. “I  _ am _ . And you know it. There’s a part of you that you can’t explain that just  _ knows _ we’re meant to be together. That we’re meant to rule together.” He paused for dramatic effect before lowering his voice. “Don’t you want to rule with the person you’re truly meant to be with?”

“I…” Dipper looked away, eyes staring intently at the floor. “I-I do,” but there was a layer of uncertainty. And ‘Bill’ picked up on that.

His voice softened, speaking slowly and surely. “I know it’ll be hard for you to kill that other Bill… but  _ I’m _ who you’re supposed to rule with. Not him. And you know that. Don’t you?”

Dipper refused to respond. His face was scrunched up to show his inner turmoil at having to choose between them. He was really hoping he didn’t just look constipated…

‘Bill’ gently held Dipper’s chin, guiding his gaze back up to him. “You know that he never would’ve been able to rule with you. You’re not as good as him, and he knows it. He’d push you to the side, overrule what you want to do if he didn’t also want to do it. He already showed what he’d be like as your First back at the palace. Telling you what you should be doing, trying to keep you in line, dismissing your ideas because he thought they were  _ wrong _ . Not even giving you a chance. And you don’t deserve that. You deserve better. You deserve your true First.” ‘Bill’s hand moved to cradle the side of Dipper’s face. He leaned in close so their foreheads were touching. “You deserve  _ me _ … don’t you?”

It was utter bullshit. All of it. But… there was only one way Dipper was ever going to get the real Bill back.

“...I do,” he agreed, tearing up. He looked down, ashamed of himself.

“So?” ‘Bill’ prompted, mouth leaving ghosting kisses along the top of Dipper’s head.

“I’ll…” Dipper swallowed thickly. “I’ll join you.”

“And?”

“And…” Fuck, this part was hard to say even while faking it. “I’ll kill Bill…”

Dipper could feel ‘Bill’ smile against his head and give it a true kiss.

“You’re doing the right thing,” he said sweetly.

Yeah, Dipper was.

‘Bill’ pulled away, grinning more brightly than he had before. “Alright! Now let’s get this show on the road!” He patted Dipper on the shoulders then started dragging him through another hallway.

Dipper’s face contorted in panicked fear. “Show? You mean… you mean kill him  _ now _ ?”

“No better time than the present!” ‘Bill’ chimed, grinning back at Dipper.

Shit, Dipper wasn’t prepared to deal with this now! He was thinking Bill would do it at the palace, or- or some place he was more familiar with!

Then again… it’s not like Dipper would have had much more of a plan at the palace, but he would’ve thought he’d at least have more time to win ‘Bill’s trust! He didn’t need any suspicion about his intentions from ‘Bill’, and Dipper wasn’t entirely sure he had that complete trust yet.

‘Bill’ finally led them to a door at the end of the hallway. Noticing Dipper’s silence, ‘Bill’ paused in front of it to face Dipper.

“Don’t worry, alright?” ‘Bill’ said, sounding way too eager considering he was about to help kill someone. “I’ll talk you through it! Everything is already set up, all you have to do is pull the final switch. The handle will pull your magic out and use it to create the power necessary to kill him. Easy peasy!” When Dipper still didn’t respond, ‘Bill’ sighed. “And really, it’s the machine that does all the work, and I’m the one who set it up, so you’re not even the one killing him technically. Okay?”

Dipper nodded weakly, holding on to his little pouch of seeds for support. He could do this. He could save the real Bill and fix everything.

‘Bill’ grinned throwing his arm around Dipper’s shoulders. “Great! Now let’s do this.”

With a wicked smirk, ‘Bill’ kicked the door in front of them open. It slammed against the wall, as he led them inside the room.

The first thing Dipper noticed was the giant machine hovering over a designated platform. It reminded him of all those sci-fi books and movies he’d watched as a child. It’s control panel stood way off to the side.

The second thing Dipper noticed was what was on the platform. Or rather… who.

“Dipper!” The real Bill nearly cried in relief, pulling at the ropes keeping his arms and legs bound. “Thank magic you’re okay!” Then the real Bill caught sight of ‘Bill’s arm around Dipper, and his face fell. “Oh, Dipper…”

The look of absolute heartbrokenness nearly broke Dipper’s own heart.

The real Bill continued to struggle, as if that would help him get closer to Dipper. “I tried to help you… I can still help you!”

Dipper regarded him with a cold stare. “Sorry, I’d rather be appreciated for who I am than be changed because you don’t like me.”

‘Bill’ grinning, letting out a whoop. “Ooh! So icy! You might want a blanket ‘cause it’s gettin’ cold in here!”

The real Bill gasped. “No… no, Dipper, that’s not what I-”

“Save it!” Dipper cut him off, stomping over to him as he yelled. “I don’t wanna hear your excuses!”

Bill fell back as Dipper angrily leaned over him. “P-Plea-”

“You had your chance and all you did was degrade me for being who I am!” Dipper clutched the pouch of seeds harder, nails digging into it. He took a deep breath before staring the real Bill down with a hard expression. “ _ Bill  _ is my real First. Not you.”

Dipper stepped back and turned away so he wouldn’t have to see the utter betrayal on Bill’s face. His grip on his pouch relaxed, but a few seeds fell out as the rough treatment had torn a hole in the seams. He’d have to have Mabel fix it later.

“Dipper-”

“You heard him,” ‘Bill’ cut it, stepping up next to Dipper. “Shut it. You’re annoying me anyway.” He took Dipper’s arm and led him over to the control panel.

Though, Dipper almost tripped on a tied up man who was leaning against it.

“Um-”

“Don’t worry about him.” ‘Bill’ waved him off carelessly. “He’s the guy who made this machine, and I needed his expertise to know how to work it. Now!” He took Dipper’s hand in his own and placed it around the handle of a lever. “All you have to do, it flip this switch to turn it on,” ‘Bill’ instructed, pointing to a red switch, “and then pull this lever when I tell you to!”

Sounded simple enough… Meaning all Dipper had to do was figure out a way to get ‘Bill’ to take the real Bill’s place.

...Fuck.

“So what is all this?” Dipper asked, hoping to buy more time.

“I’m so glad you asked, Pine Tree!” ‘Bill’ leaned against the control panel and gestured to the machine dramatically. “This here, is what caused all this in the first place!”

Huh… Dipper hadn’t actually been expecting him to answer. Not that it was really an answer…

“What do you mean?” the real Bill asked from the platform.

‘Bill’ smiled a little too happily. He stood up from the panel and made his way over to the platform, kneeling down in front of the real Bill. “You see, my dear goody twin, we’re actually the same person split into two different halves! The good half,  _ you _ , and the evil half, me!”

_ What _ ?

That… explained a lot, actually, but still…  _ what _ ?!

The real- or rather, the good Bill shook his head, his voice weak with shock. “How?”

Evil Bill stood, enjoying this far too much, as he explained. “When we were born, our father realized we had the chance of being chosen to rule! He knew that the current rulers’ reign would be about up by the time we turned eighteen. So he wanted to make us the perfect candidate. Or rather… he wanted to make  _ you _ the perfect candidate. Someone who was good in every sense of the word!”

Evil Bill spared a glance towards the tied up man, his  _ father _ , who looked away in shame, before continuing gleefully.

“He made this machine to separate anything he considered even remotely evil or bad and unintentionally created me. Because, well,” he pause to chuckle, “all that evil had to go somewhere, right? He sent me away to some remote farm where I’d be as far from you as possible. Didn’t want any chance that I’d corrupt you. And I suppose it worked… You were chosen, after all. But what our sweet little father didn’t understand was that… we’re still the same person. I  _ am _ you. So if you get chosen, so do I.”

“And now you want to get rid of me,” Good Bill said in a low understanding tone. “To get revenge on our father and me for rejecting and abandoning you.”

Evil Bill choked out a laugh. “What? No!”

“You mean… you weren’t filled with anger your whole childhood?”

“No! I had a great childhood, are you kidding me? My adoptive parents gave me anything I wanted, mostly because I made them, and I was the happiest brat in the world! I just want to take my place on the throne, like I was  _ chosen _ to do, and I can’t do that with you in the way.” He explained it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “That’s all!”

Good Bill took a moment to look around the room. “So… then, why bring me here?”

Evil Bill threw his arms out, shrugging. “I just can’t resist the irony. Come on, you gotta admit the irony about this all is just irresistible!”

Dipper stared at the controls while Evil Bill continued to monologue.

If what he’d said was true, this machine was made to separate different aspects of a person into two different people. And if it could separate someone, then…

Change of plans. His original plan wouldn’t work anymore, and Dipper had very little time to make this new one work… and very little room for error. If even one of these controls was wrong, he could end up accidentally killing them both or even everyone here.

But if it worked…

Dipper’s hands hovered over the machine and… oh fuck he had no idea how this worked. The evil Bill had set this up well before they’d arrived and there as so much of this he didn’t understand.

Maybe if he hit that- no, that didn’t work. What if- yeah that looks- wait never mind…

Dipper kept glancing up to make sure Evil Bill was still preoccupied with taunting Good Bill. If he caught onto what Dipper was doing… there’d surely be hell to pay. And both plans he had would go to shit.

Okay, so if he just- oh! Oh! That actually looked- yeah, and if he just- fuck no  _ that  _ wasn’t it… Ugh! Come on, he just needed-

“It’s the green switch.”

Dipper froze. His eyes trailed over to the man tied up beside the machine. Bill’s father.

“You’re trying to save him right?” Dipper nodded, and Bill’s father sighed in relief. “It’s the green switch,” he repeated in a raspy voice. “Then you can pull the lever… and undo all the damage I’ve done.”

Dipper didn’t have much of a reason to trust him… but it was much more of a reason than he had to not trust him.

Finding the switch, Dipper flicked it and the machine whirred to life, gears spinning and magic crackling through the air like electricity.

Evil Bill smiled appreciatively, sharing a satisfied nod with Dipper. “See?” he said to Good Bill. “My Pine Tree knows exactly whose side he should be on.” He gave Good Bill one last, triumphant look over, before moving to head over to Dipper.

Then he froze, the triumph morphing into confusion.

He… he couldn’t move! His legs!

Evil Bill looked down and found thick, woody vines shooting up from the platform that wound tightly around his legs all the way up to his knees.

“Wha-?!” Evil Bill glared over at Dipper. “What did you  _ do _ ?!”

Dipper gave a pointed look at the vines he’d gradually been growing from the seeds he dropped earlier and then back up at Evil Bill. “Is that a trick question?”

Evil Bill’s hands shook and clenched, and he glared furiously at Dipper. “I mean,  _ why are you doing it _ ?!” he screamed. The persona of confidence melted away as his anger and panic grew. “If I’m caught under here when the beam strikes, I’ll be killed too!”

“That would be true…” Dipper mused for a moment. “You know, if I actually had this set to kill you.”

Both Bills stared at Dipper in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Dipper’s grip on the lever tightened- “You’ve really fallen apart, Bill. It’s time to pull yourself together.”

-and he pulled it down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOOOOOOOHH!!!
> 
> Who saw that coming? Anyone? No one? Everyone? Didn't make sense? Okay.
> 
> Here we are though. The truth revealed! But what will happen next? :O Stay tuned to find out! Next week!
> 
> Also, I would just like to personally thank Fallen_Nightmares for the inspiration for Dipper’s punny one-liner. That was beautiful.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow this has been a JOURNEY. But we're finally here! :D ...a day late.
> 
> I'm sorry! T^T I'm at a convention right now and so my days are surprisingly busy... and thus it's easy to forget to update things like stories... oh well! It's here now so that's that.
> 
> And without further ado... I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Dipper ducked behind the control panel as a bright light engulfed the room. Magic sizzled through the air, and he could hear the sounds of both Bills screaming. But it was over more quickly than he expected. The light faded and the room was a slight haze from smoke.

“It should have worked,” Bill’s father commented.

“And just in case it didn’t…” Dipper quickly undid the rope tying Bill’s father up.

He’d need all the help he could get if he was going to face Evil Bill’s wrath.

Standing up cautiously, Dipper peeked over the top of the control panel. He couldn’t see anything yet. So he made his was a little closer. The smoke cleared a bit more as he did and… there was only one person there! Did… did that mean it worked?

Dipper tiptoed a closer, more cautious than ever.

He may have merged the two Bills back into one, but he had no idea who’d be in charge now… Would Evil Bill have taken over? Would he kill Dipper for that stunt? What if it was Good Bill? Would he ever talk to Dipper again?

Dipper stepped onto the platform and… was he even awake?

The loud groan proved that he was. Dipper took another step forward, carefully, and Bill, whichever one it was, turned his head to look. His eyes squinted blearily.

“Pine Tree…?”

Shit. Shit, shit,  _ shit _ ! It was  _ Evil _ Bill! His plan didn’t work!

Dipper took a step back, eyes wide and scared.

Bill’s brow furrowed, confused, and he closed his eyes tight like he was thinking really hard about something.

“Wait no…” he murmured to himself. “You didn’t like that nickname, did you… What was…? Dipper…?” Bill opened his eyes and looked back at Dipper. “Dipper. That’s your name.”

“Y...Yes?” Dipper answered slowly. “Who…? Who are you?”

“I’m Bill,” Bill replied simply.

Dipper sighed. “Yes, I know that.  _ Which _ Bill? The good one? The bad one?” Was he going to have to fight or not?

Bill lifted a hand to his head, the ropes having been burned away, and he looked equal parts confused and in pain. “Both? Neither? Ugh, this is way too much for me right now.”

“What do you mean ‘neither’?” Dipper asked, kneeling down next to Bill. His curiosity won over his cautiousness. “When I merged you back into one person, you didn’t end up fighting with yourself mentally? There’s no like… war of good and evil going on right now?”

Bills stared at him for a moment. It took a moment for him to understand what Dipper was asking. “Like… two separate people inhabiting the same body?”

“Yeah!”

“No…” Bill shook his head. “No it’s not like that. When you merged me back, I just became one person, the one person I was supposed to be… kinda. The only problem now is that I’ve got two completely different sets of memories mixed together, like I’ve lived two completely different and separate lives at the same time. It’s so  _ confusing _ … Well, that and the pain. Everything hurts! Ugh! Have you ever forced two bodies back into one? You can  _ feel _ your  _ bones _ !” He groaned and glared at his hands. “I feel like a skeleton trapped in a meat suit, it’s  _ terrible _ ! I feel like I should be able to unzip my body or something…”

Dipper wasn’t sure why the image came to him at that time, but he couldn’t help but say, “...Like a onesie?”

Bill’s face lit up. “Yes!” he laughed, then groaned again. “Oh, it hurts to laugh…”

Dipper rolled his eyes, but scooted closer and helped Bill into a sitting position, letting him lean against him. “How do I know that it’s really both of you, though? No offense, but for all I know you could be the evil Bill pretending to be both.”

“Because if I was the evil me, I would have already tried to kill you for betraying me like that,” Bill pointed out.

“Fair enough.”

“Bill…?”

Both Bill and Dipper looked over. Bill’s father stood just off the platform, worried and weary. Like that event alone had aged him years.

Bill weakly waved a had. “Hey, dad.”

Bill’s father had to take a moment, his emotions overwhelming him. But when he’d got himself back under control, he met Bill with a shameful look. “Look, I… I’m sorry for what I did to you. For separating you like that, I never should’ve done it.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not like doing it had any consequences, right?” Bill joked, then moaned because he’d laughed again.

“Don’t make yourself laugh when you know it’ll only hurt!” Dipper chastised, resisting the urge to flick Bill on the head.

“Truly, I’m sorry.” Bill’s father dropped his head, staring down at his shoes. “I know I wouldn’t deserve it if you did, but… Do you…” He lifted his head, hopeful. “Do you think you could ever forgive me?”

Bill didn’t laugh at that. Instead he took a moment to think about it.

“Part of me wants to,” he began slowly, “because it’s the ‘right’ thing to do but… no. I can’t forgive you for this. Doesn’t mean I’ll love you any less, but… I just can’t forgive you.”

Bill’s father nodded, disappointed but expecting it. “I understand…”

“Come on,” Dipper said after their moment was over. He pulled Bill up into a standing position so they could make their way out. “We should get you and your meat onesie back to the palace, make sure everyone knows what happened and that you’re okay.”

Bill barked out another laugh-moan at Dipper’s ‘meat onesie’ comment.

“What did I say about laughing?”

“Then don’t make me laugh!”

Most of the trip back to the car was silent. Bill’s father, who needed a ride since Bill’s evil side had kidnapped him, was too scared to say anything as he was still guilt ridden. Bill himself was too busy moaning and groaning with each step. And Dipper… well Dipper wasn’t really sure what to say.

What do you say to someone who was a combination of two people you had two vastly different relationships with? It was like he was meeting Bill for the first time again. Hopefully for the last, too.

There was only so many times Dipper needed to meet another Bill.

Trying to get a ride back was more eventful.

The staff Bill’s evil side had controlled was not happy and  _ very _ reluctant to have anything more to do with Bill. It took quite a bit of explaining and maybe a bit of lying too (“I can  _ totally  _ use my mental shields to keep him out of your mind, just in case!”) to get him to agree.

But when he did, Bill’s father took to the front seat while Bill and Dipper took the back. With Bill leaning against Dipper again, of course. Soon enough they were off.

Luckily, the ride back wasn’t as awkward as before.

“I’m just gonna take a wild guess here,” Bill began after a few minutes on the road, “and say that you’re no longer scared that I’m the evil me.”

“Why do you say that?” Dipper asked absentmindedly.

Bill gave a pointed look to Dipper’s arm around him and smirked. “‘Cause you’re holding onto me pretty tightly, there.”

“I’m trying to keep you steady so the jostling of the car doesn’t hurt you more,” Dipper explained, blushing a bit. “But… There  _ is _ something different about you. About the feeling you give off. It’s still pretty douchey with that extra asshole flare, just less… homicidal.”

“Have you ever considered being a motivational speaker for those with low self-esteem? I think you’d be wonderful at it,” Bill said sarcastically, grinning.

Dipper rolled his eyes, and felt a trend coming on. “Is this what I’m gonna have to deal with for the rest of my life?”

“Most likely.” Then Bill’s grin faded, his brow furrowed. “That’s… not a problem is it?”

Dipper mimicked his look. “You said that pretty seriously… why?”

“Well…” Bill started, then he shook his head. “It’s interesting, you know… in both of the memory sets I have, you’re one of the few constants…”

“Constants?” And what did that have to do with what they were talking about?

“No matter which one I go to, I can remember liking you in some way,” Bill confessed.

Dipper’s blush came back.

“...Really?” That was news to him. He couldn’t remember either Bill liking him that much.

Bill nestled closer to Dipper, speaking as if he was discussing the weather and not his deepest feelings. “You were so… thoughtful of other people and tried so hard, but you were also feisty and didn’t let yourself get pushed around if you didn’t want to. And I loved that about you! But you also never really seemed to like me that much.”

Oh. Bill wanted Dipper to like him. Or rather, he didn’t want Dipper to dislike him. At least they had that in common.

“I’ll be honest, it wasn’t easy,” Dipper laughed nervously. “I did like the good part of you, but it was hard for anything more to develop because you always made me feel bad about myself. And then with your evil self… well, it’s kinda hard to like someone who’s threatening your loved ones’ wellbeings.”

“Well, then you’ll love me now!” Bill suddenly exclaimed, sitting up to look Dipper in the face.

Dipper blinked. “What?”

“I’m clearly not nearly as good as I used to be,” Bill explained excitedly, “so you can’t feel bad that you’re not perfect, and I’m not threatening nor do I  _ want _ to threaten your family anymore! Oh, I sense the start of a budding relationship.” He sighed and happily nestled himself back into Dipper’s arms.

At least until Dipper pushed him away, holding him at arm’s length. “If you can sit up and spout romantic intentions, you can hold yourself up,” he teased playfully.

Bill gasped and curled up again, whimpering, “Wait, no! Don’t treat me like this, I still hurt!”

“You’re ridiculous,” Dipper said, a smile on his face as he let Bill lean against him again.

“Oh! Speaking of things that are ridiculous…” Bill raised an eyebrow, serious. “‘Time to pull yourself together’?  _ Really _ ? That was so cheesily dramatic-”

“You know what?” Dipper gasped, offended while Bill cackled beside him. “I don’t wanna hear it! I saved your damn life, okay? Don’t go around complaining that I was  _ cheesily dramatic _ while doing so, Mr ‘I Can’t Resist The Irony’!”

“Oh magic, I was really a nightmare…” Bill wiped laughter tears from his eyes. “You think there could be some parallel universe where the evil part of me actually managed to kill the good part? How do you think that would’ve worked out? Like what would have happened?”

Dipper took all of one second to think about it. “...The apocalypse, probably.”

“Sort of like what’s gonna happen when we try to explain what happened to everyone?”

“...Oh shit.”

* * *

**** In a fantastic stroke of luck, everyone they needed to talk to was already waiting for them at the palace. Pacifica must’ve led Dipper’s friends and family back in some hope that they could find a way to stop Bill’s evil side there, and everyone previously under Bill’s control had been released.

In a not as fantastic stroke of luck, they were also prepared to fight Bill to the death and had planned an ambush in the palace for when he returned.

“Wait no! Don’t hurt him!” Dipper yelled, placing himself between Bill and the angry mob coming for them.

The mob stopped, staring at him in surprise and lowered their weapons. “Dipper!”

Mabel ran forward, tears in her eyes, and hugged Dipper for all she was worth. The rest of his family followed shortly after.

“I can’t believe it,” Preston murmured, stepping forward. “You defeated the fake and brought the real Bill back?”

Dipper pulled away from his family, smiling sheepishly. “...In a way.”

Thankfully, it was easier to convince everyone else about what happened than it had been with the staff who drove them home. Not so thankfully, they were just as reluctant (probably even more so, actually) about letting Bill back in their lives.

“Dipper, do you really think that was a good idea?” Ford asked. “This man threatened to kill or enslave us all!”

Dipper sighed like he’d had to explain this several times before. Which, he had. “Yeah, because he was literally missing the part of him that would have prevented him from doing otherwise. Which he has now, by the way.”

“Thanks to you,” Bill added.

“Yeah! Thanks to me! Plus, he can’t get into my mind, and if anything happens I’ll be there to stop him.”

Preston bit his lip. “I just think…” He took a deep breath, sparing a nervous glance to Bill. “Maybe it would have been more  _ prudent  _ to get rid of that evil side while you had the chance.”

“And leave him as half a person for the rest of his life?”

“Well, the other half of him-”

“I know what the other half of him did!” Dipper suddenly shouted, startling them all. “All he did as a solely ‘good’ person, though, was do as he was told and follow the rules. That’s what ‘good’ people do, right? But because of that he did almost nothing of his own accord! You can’t be a leader while constantly doing what everyone else tells you to do.”

Preston tried again. “We just think it would’ve been wise-”

“No!” Dipper glared, his fists clenching. “You’re all just mad because you don’t have your perfect little First anymore. You think I should’ve killed his evil side? Why? His evil side was chosen just like his good side was! And didn’t you all tell me that being chosen is never a mistake? Or is it only a mistake when it’s convenient for you! I stand by what I did.” He turned to Bill to take hold of his hand before facing everyone else. “And I’m standing by Bill. He was chosen for a reason. Both sides of him were chosen for a reason. And I’m going to trust that.”

Pacifica, who couldn’t keep her smile down after Dipper cut off her father twice, spoke up. “He’s right. Both sides were chosen, and no one is chosen by mistake.”

Preston laughed nervously. “Some people can turn bad after they’ve been chosen-”

“But Bill’s evil side was bad  _ well _ before he was chosen,” Dipper pointed out. “He was technically  _ born _ bad!”

Pacifica crossed her arms. “Plus, you and I both know that someone turning bad after being chosen is probably the rarest thing that can happen to a ruler.”

Preston looked around, hoping to find support. But from the looks of it, everyone else was already on board.

Finally, he sighed. “Well… as advisors, we can only advise you to do things, not force you to do them so… carry on.”

Dipper grinned in relief, letting himself relax. Bill squeezed his hand in thanks.

Pacifica smirked, arms still crossed as she addressed Dipper. “I knew you were chosen for a reason.”

Dipper smirked back. “Yeah, magic.”

* * *

 

**** The rest of the day was spent getting everything back in order, back the way it was before Bill’s evil side came in and messed it all up. At some point, Bill wandered off. So Dipper, basically having been appointed as Bill’s guardian, went to go find him.

And judging by the lack of people in the hallway where Bill’s room way, Dipper guess that’s where he was.

Sure enough, there he was, lying on the bed with his legs hanging over the side.

Dipper leaned against the doorway. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m trying to figure out how I’m supposed to act in certain situations again…” Bill answered, not bothering to sit up. “I keep trying to go back to the things I’ve learned, but everything up until I was put back together is just one giant cringe fest of either ‘I’m too perfect for everything’ or ‘Edge Lord Extreme’... and nothing I did before makes sense to me now, because I can no longer understand why I did it.”

Dipper pushed himself off of the doorway and moved to sit down on the bed next to Bill. “Well… I may not be the best role model in terms of social skills or morality but uh… I’d be happy to help you figure it out.” He patted Bill’s leg comfortingly.

Bill smiled, then sat up. “I’ve figured it out.”

“Already?!”

Bill shook his head. “No, not about that. About why you were chosen. It wasn’t so I could ‘help you be good’, I can’t believe I actually said that to you, or so that you could help me kill… myself. It was so you could put me back together. And so you could-”

“I,” Dipper interrupted suddenly, a smile on his face, “don’t think I care about that anymore. For whatever reason I was chosen… it doesn’t matter to me.”

“Yeah…” Bill nodded in understanding, smiling. Then, seriously, he said, “But I also but a shit-ton of thought into this, so I need you to hear me out.”

Dipper laughed, but let Bill continue on with his explanation.

Bill scooted closer to Dipper as he spoke. “You’re like this perfect mix of a person, in my opinion. Morally sound enough to not be swayed by my eviler suggestions, but stubborn enough that you weren’t going to follow the rules if you didn’t need to. And…” He shrugged. “Well rounded enough to not kill my evil side even though it probably would’ve been the right thing to do… even though that’s what anyone else would’ve done.” He leaned forward, letting his forehead rest against Dipper’s.

Dipper smiled. “Yeah well… doing the right thing has never really worked for me.”

“I’m glad.” Bill started to lean in closer.

But Dipper pulled back a bit. “I’m sorry I left you, by the way. Back in the palace. The good you, anyway.”

“It was the best thing to do, and I’m alive because of it.” Bill grinned, leaning in again. “But… I guess if you wanted to make it up to me I wouldn’t complain.”

Dipper pulled back once more, serious. “I just… I wanted you to know that I’ll never leave you again.”

“That’s good to hear. Now…” Bill held Dipper’s head still with both his hands. “Can I kiss you already?”

“Yes.” That time, Dipper leaned in.

And as he did so, he couldn’t help but thank magic that he’d been chosen as The Second.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
> 
> My second completed multichaptered story! :D
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading this and sharing your thoughts! I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much, if not more, than I did writing it! I really appreciate all of the things you've said and the love you've given this lil ficlet of mine! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Clap your hands if you were expecting that. *thunderous applause*
> 
> In other news, find me at littlegreenpuppy.tumblr.com. Sometimes I post interesting stuff.


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